UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TWITTER FEED

DISCOVER AMERICA’S LEGENDARY ROUTE TO FREEDOM

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR) honors the bravery of those who fled bondage and those who provided shelter. This route passes points of interest and historic sites along a 2,008-mile corridor. Beginning in Mobile, Alabama – a busy port for slavery during the pre-civil war era – the route goes north following rivers through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Waterways, as well as the North Star, were often used by freedom seekers as a guide in their journeys to escape slavery. Upon crossing into Ohio, the route leaves the river to head toward Lake Erie and enters Canada at the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, New York. In Ontario, the route follows the shores of Lake Ontario and ends at Owen Sound, a town founded by freedom seekers in 1857. Owen Sound is located on the southern side of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.

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DETROIT ALTERNATE

This 518-mile alternate begins in Oberlin, Ohio, a town that is located on Section 4 of the main route. It takes cyclists around the western side of Lake Erie through historically rich Michigan. There are many sites to visit in the towns that the route goes through. In Michigan the route becomes much more urban. Because there is no bicycle-friendly connection between Detroit and Windsor the route crosses into Canada north of these cities, which were both important sites to freedom seekers. You have an option though, which could also become a loop on its own. From Sandusky, you can follow the Windsor Option and cross Lake Erie via ferry. The route goes northwest along the shore to Windsor, where many settled after their escape from the U.S. It continues to the northeast where it reconnects to the Alternate at Sombra, Ontario. From Sombra, the route heads north through rural countryside, visiting several more Underground Railroad sites before reaching Owen Sound, the terminus of the main route, located on the southern side of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.

PITTSBURGH TO ERIE SPUR

Pittsburgh is not only the home of the Center for Minority Health (CMH) at the University of Pittsburgh, our partner in creating the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, but it also played a vital role in Underground Railroad history. Due to the many roads leading in and out of the area and the rivers which represented natural landmarks to follow to freedom, the city became an important stop for freedom seekers making their way north. It was also a strong hold for the abolitionist movement and Blacks themselves became active in securing the freedom for enslaved Africans. The route begins at the Senator John Heinz History Center where travelers can view the Underground Railroad exhibit and African American collections before crossing the Allegheny River and following the 3.5 mile North Shore Trail. Point State Park, the tip of Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle" where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join, can been seen as cyclists follow the shores of the Ohio River. The route crosses the Ohio River three times before reaching Monaca then heads north, following the Beaver River through the community of Beaver Falls toward Mercer.

FOLLOW THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD ROUTE ON TWITTER
We are using Twitter to facilitate communication between cyclists on the road and the cartographers back in Missoula as well as other cyclists on tour. Our Twitter handle is @acaroutes. When tweeting about the Underground Railroad, include the hashtag #acaugrr and your tweets will appear in our Twitter stream for the Underground Railroad. For more information on our use of Twitter, see our GeoPoints Bulletin blog post.

Read about the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route Project.