Cardinal Greenway, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life by developing and operating corridors and trails to connect people and communities.

 Cardinal Greenway takes its name from the traditional definition of a greenway as "linear open space, linking parks, nature reserves, cultural and historical sites with each other and with populated areas for use by non-motorized travelers."  The Cardinal was the name of the last passenger train to regularly travel our rail-trail, deriving its name from the state bird of all five of the states which crossed on the Chicago/Cincinnati/Washington line.  Our trail name, Cardinal Greenway, becomes a small but meaningful tribute to the golden age of American railroads.

 The Rails-to-Trails movement began in 1965; twenty years later the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was founded.  In 1991 Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) declaring that a portion of revenues from gas taxes must be used to develop modes of transportation other than highways.  This included preservation of abandoned railway corridors for development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.  To date, the state has earmarked these funds for trail construction, but not maintenance.

 In 1993, Cardinal Greenway purchased 60 miles of the former railroad corridor from CSX Transportation Corporation to develop a rails-to-trails recreational linear park covering five counties in Eastern Indiana (Wayne, Randolph, Henry, Delaware and Grant).  The route begins in Richmond, adjacent to the Whitewater Valley Gorge Park at the historic Gas Company Works building on U.S. 40 and extends northwest through Wayne County and the small towns of Webster, Williamsburg and Economy.  The trail continues through Losantville in Randolph County and Blountsville in Henry County and enters Delaware County near the southern end of Prairie Creek Reservoir.  Bisecting the heart of Muncie, the trail crosses the White River and continues northwest to the town of Gaston.  Between Gaston and Jonesboro in Grant County is a gap, an 11.3 mile section of abandoned rail corridor purchased by landowners.  A route(s) is marked with arrows using public roads to connect the two sections of Cardinal Greenway.  The Cardinal Greenway resumes in Jonesboro and overlooks the Mississinewa River and the western edge of Gas City.  Continuing northwest, the trail extends all the way through Marion and will soon extend to Sweetser.  The Cardinal Greenway Trail is the longest rails-to-trails project in Indiana.

 During 1994 Cardinal Greenway selected a design team, which specifically addressed trail issues of management and planning strategy, site analysis, project development, and funding.  A Master Plan was completed in early 1996 and final tracings were submitted to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).  A ground breaking ceremony in September 1997 set in motion the construction of 10 plus miles for the Phase 1 section of the Cardinal Greenway from the Wysor Street Depot in Muncie to County Road 532 East, southeast of Prairie Creek Reservoir including 2 miles of horse trail.  Since that time the trail has been extended an additional 10 miles in Delaware County and reaches from County Road 532 East to Broad Street in Gaston. In 2007 the ribbon was cut to open the newest section of trail – 7 miles from County Road 532 East to Losantville, traveling through Delaware, Henry and Randolph counties.  Additionally, the horse trail was extended to Losantville and with the help of volunteers from our equestrian community, the equestrian trail extends for 11 miles, making it the longest rails-to-trail equestrian trail in the state of Indiana.  There are also 2.5 miles of completed trail in Wayne County and 7.8 miles in Grant County. The trail includes trailheads, rest areas, and interpretative signage.

 The White River Greenway resides on land owned by the City of Muncie and began as the vision of a dedicated volunteer committee that desired to celebrate the city’s favorite natural resource, the White River.   A master plan was created to build a trail that connects five city parks, the city’s downtown, Ball State University and other community attractions.  The White River Greenway connects to the Cardinal Greenway and together they are located within 10 minutes of 80 percent of the Muncie Community.   In an effort to maximize community resources, the White River Corridor Development Committee joined forces with the Cardinal Greenway to expedite trail completion and to maximize community resources.  Approximately half of the 6 mile trail is complete.

 After being closed for 43 years, the Wysor Street Depot was re-opened June 5, 2004.  The Depot was originally opened in 1901 and was used as a mail and passenger depot.  Much of the original Depot has been restored with several signs and benches coming from the Downtown Muncie Depot which no longer exists.  A model railroad, gift shop, conference room and Greenway offices reside at the Depot, as well as the free bicycle loaner program known as “The Cruiser Program”.