Oct 19, 2021 - News

100 years ago: A long walk to Tampa

One hundred years ago today, "a pink-checked youth of about twenty-one," a veteran of "the World war," walked into the Tampa Tribune offices to report he had walked to town ... from York, Pennsylvania.

  • His name was Henry Shanabrough, and he'd walked more than 1,000 miles on foot. He told the editors his plan was to turn around and walk home, then maybe head west in the spring.

Coincidentally, that same month, a niche architectural journal ran a story called "An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning."

  • A young conservationist named Benton MacKaye called for the construction of theĀ Appalachian Trail, a protected natural footpath which roughly follows Shanabrough's route south.
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