For one day last week, the south suburbs were part of a bike and hike, coast-to-coast, 6,800-mile relay with the area’s Old Plank as part of a continent-long highway.
The American Discovery Relay, part of this country’s 250th national anniversary, began July 4 on California’s Golden Gate Bridge and is scheduled to end on Thanksgiving Day on the Delaware shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
A copy of the Declaration of Independence is carried by participants in the well-planned, five-month event and each section of the route is organized with day-long activities and scheduled breaks.
A day-long hike started Oct. 13 in Frankfort and followed the Old Plank Trail route, reaching the Matteson-Park Forest area early that afternoon. From there, the path turned north on the Thorn Creek Trail System, winding through Chicago Heights, before looping around Glenwood and ending the day in Lansing.
By the time you read this, the tour should have reached Cincinnati, where it will pause until a southern route which split away in Denver catches up to it.
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The villages of Park Forest (hot dogs) and Matteson (souvenirs and sweets) each had booths in Holden Park to commemorate the event as a makeshift arch composed of red, white and blue balloons hovered over the Old Plank Trail.
The weather had a tranquil warmth to it although one could detect a nippy Octoberish wind at times, and some 30 to 40 people were on hand when the trail participants arrived. Yes, there could have been more, but given that it was a Tuesday afternoon, attendance, alas, was not an obligation.
Standing there, awaiting the ceremony, I was reminded that it was different nearly 80 years ago when a seven-car Freedom Train took a two-year, 37,000-mile journey around the country showcasing hundreds of original documents of this country’s history including the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation.
That was a time when, although we won World War II, we were still trying to cope with major social and economic shifts as a result of four years of conflict, so perhaps a nationwide showcase of what we fought for was important
The Freedom Train traveling museum carried more than 127 historical documents in special display cases and was guarded by the Marine Corps.
The timeline of the manuscripts ranged from the 13th century Magna Carta to the 1945 articles of Germany’s surrender. Other precious papers included the Declaration of Independence, an original copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln’s hand-written copy of his Gettysburg Address.
Old-timers can recall that Irving Berlin wrote a popular song, “Here Comes the Freedom Train,” which was recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
But for some freedom never arrived. Both Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama were bypassed because of the insistence of those cities on separation of the races at all times.
The train arrived in Chicago in July 1949 for four days on a special siding in Burnham Park near Soldier Field. That was where I saw it, thus becoming one of nearly four million who climbed aboard.
At the age of 14, I thought these documents were just ”things” I learned about in school. Today, these historic manuscripts are more than just ink on parchments or items to be seen and checked off on a list.
In an era of perceived threats by elected officials to our cherished freedoms, we need to hold fast to our ideals and beliefs as written down for 250 years. Holding a copy of the Declaration of Independence is one thing. Living up to the ideals that are the backbone of who we are is something else.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.