Charley Western Trail trail stop nearly finished

By Bob Steenson, [email protected]

The “End of the Line” trail stop marking the end of the Charley Western Railroad on a local recreational trail is nearly complete, with the recent installation of a bench in memory of a local cyclist.

Mark Melrose and Cory Mutch, co-chairs of the Charley Western Trail Committee, installed the bench at the trail stop last week. It was donated by Cambrex Charles City in honor of Ellen Bengtson, a former employee.

Several Cambrex employees who worked with Bengtson stopped by the trail stop Thursday afternoon with Melrose to see the bench, and took some time to reminisce about Bengtson.

“We thought it was a very fitting memorial,” Melrose said, thanking Cambrex for the donation and noting that Bengtson rode a bike and walked on the trail frequently.

Bengtson was an avid bicyclist who was killed when struck by a pickup truck while riding on Shadow Avenue south of Charles City in August 2020.

The End of the Line (EOTL) stop now exists where a short section of the old Charley Western Railroad (CWRR) used to be hidden by trees and brush next to the trail near the 3rd Street entrance to Wildwood Golf Course.

Eric Mayhew, Cambrex senior manager, environmental and DEA compliance, said he hired Bengtson and brought her to Iowa.

She was raised in Washington state, and had earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University in Connecticut and her master’s degree in chemical engineering from Columbia University in New York. She was hired as an environmental engineer at Cambrex in 2015.

Mayhew said it was fun watching her mature in the job, from someone who was somewhat shy and introverted when she began, to someone who the department could lean on and be someone who represented Cambrex and the environmental department with the utmost integrity.

“We still miss her today,” Mayhew said. “She had quite an impact on our group.”

The bench is inscribed with the words, “In Honor of an Extraordinary Woman, Ellen S.M. Bengtson, 1991-2020.”

Melrose said a group of volunteers from the Bike Around Tuesday bicycling group has been helping clean up the area for a trail stop since beginning work in 2021.

“Many trees, bushes and roots were cleared, rotted ties were replaced and new rock was added along with the new fence, slab and bench,” Melrose said. “We only have to install the informational sign, but that won’t happen until next spring. We also hope to add a vintage CWRR crossing sign as well.”

Placing the new rock – donated by Dean Tjaden – around the ties and rails was completed last month.

“We will let it settle over the winter and we may see about topping it off with decorative rock next spring,” Melrose said.

The next step is to place a historical marker at the EOTL location, hopefully along with six or seven other markers at different points along the trail.

The trail committee has submitted a grant application to the Floyd County Community Foundation that would probably cover seven informational markers.

If the grant is approved, committee Co-chair Mutch will work on design and layout, Floyd County Museum Director Mckenna Lloyd will provide historical information, Cody Ritter will provide historical photos and Melrose will also work with the group to tell the story of the CWRR and how the railroad right of way became the Charley Western Trail.

Melrose said the seven signs could include:

• The EOTL sign will talk about the location being the last remnant of the CWRR and the reasons why it ended.
• “Crossroads” sign, located at the southwest corner of the trail, could show a map of how the CWRR continued to Marble Rock at that location and the benefits it served at that time.
• A new bridge sign could show photos of the old and new bridge.
• Sherman Nursery spur could show where the railroad  stopped to unload stock and highlight the arched bridges.
• A sign that shows the path the railroad took through Charles City and down Main Street as a trolley.
• A sign at the white shed now owned by Zoetis just off the trail could explain its use during the time of the railroad.
• A sign at the railroad depot, which is planned to be a trailhead, could be a much larger sign showing the full path of the CWRR, highlighting the historical stop next to the Depot and other information to guide people along the trail.