A Bike Ride Into History from Rockwood to Markleton
The Casselman River Watershed Association hosts a free, historian-led Bike Ride into History on the GAP from Rockwood to Markleton on Sunday, August 30.
The Casselman River Watershed Association is offering a chance to ride the Great Allegheny Passage and pick up some local history along the way, and it will not cost you a thing.
The Bike Ride into History is set for Sunday, August 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Riders meet in the Rockwood Trailhead parking lot, near the information booth, at 10 a.m. A historian will start things off with the story of Rockwood, and then the group will pedal down the trail to Markleton for more of the same. From there, you are free to keep going or turn back to Rockwood at your own pace.
Markleton is a small place now, an unincorporated dot at mile marker 50, but it has a past worth the trip. In the 1880s it was home to a large wood pulp mill, and the town takes its name from the Markle paper company that ran it. When the mill faded, the site found a second life as the Markleton Sanatorium, a grand five-story brick resort and health retreat that drew guests off the railroad for spring water and Turkish baths. During World War I, the Army took the buildings over as a hospital for soldiers with tuberculosis. Little of it remains today, which is exactly why a good historian is worth listening to.
The ride is leisurely, and the event is free with no reservations required. Bring water and a snack for the trail. If you need a bike, rentals are available from the Rockwood Bike Shop at 814-926-6572 or Confluence Cyclery at 814-395-9380.
The GAP is a fine ride on any day. It is even better when someone is along to tell you what you are rolling past. See you in Rockwood.