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Back in 1998 a group of loosely organized citizens recognized a great opportunity to convert a soon to be abandoned railway into a recreational trail. Led by Rochester Hills resident Dan Keifer, the group began their campaign. Early support developed quickly. Numerous residents expressed interest along with staff support from Oakland County Planning and the City of Auburn Hills. Several newspapers began to chronicle the as yet unnamed trail’s story. Around 2001 the name Clinton River Trail was selected, a logo was developed, and Keifer formalized the Friends of the Clinton River Trail into a non-profit corporation. The group rallied around their vision of a trail that would be “a safe and enjoyable recreational feature for the communities through which it passes.” That statement continues today as the mission of FCRT. It was recognized millions of dollars would need to be invested for this vision to become a reality; yet the immediate lack of funds was never a discouragement. FCRT always believed that a good idea, with sufficient public support, would ultimately be funded. And funded it was. Not all at once, but piece by piece, city by city, the Clinton River Trail began to happen. In 2004 the five cities — Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Pontiac and Sylvan Lake — joined together in signing a “Memorandum of Understanding” which cemented their commitment to support the trail as a contiguous 16 mile-long entity across eastern Oakland County. That 2004 milestone is recognized as the official “birth” of the Clinton River Trail.
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