History Meets Health: The History Hike for Fitness

What happens when history and fitness combine? It’s a win-win program for history buffs and fitness-focused folks.

If the events of 2020 taught us anything, it was the need to be innovative in maintaining physical and mental health. One of the ways that many people found solace from the isolation was to get outside to exercise and improve mental health. From the Ruthmere Foundation perspective, finding a way to combine the history we cherish with a desire to impact the community in a positive way was the catalyst for creating the History Hike for Fitness, a program that is expected to get underway in June.

I hatched the idea for this project in 2019, however, long before quarantines became common in Elkhart. I was once told that I am an “ideas person,” and that is a true assessment. I enjoy looking at how an organization can interact more with its community while still holding fast to its mission and foundations. It was during one of these idea sessions in my mind that I considered how Ruthmere could incorporate health and wellness into a program that also highlights local history.

I researched how other museums around the country were incorporating wellness into their operations. Some had aerobic type exercise programs, such as dancing through a multi-level art museum, or weekly yoga session in a gallery or exhibit hall. Knowing many of these could not be provided here due to space limitations and our need to keep our collections safe, there had to be another alternative, which turned out to be the early version of the History Hike for Fitness.

The History Hike logo - these will be found at each stop!

After presenting the History Hike concept (which was initially called the Fitness Hike through History) to executive director Bill Firstenberger, whose input led to some fine tuning, focus, and potential partnerships, a draft of the idea came to fruition.  After even more tweaks, the History Hike for Fitness is almost complete and will add an accessible component to Downtown Elkhart’s redevelopment and to the surrounding community.

The story of Elkhart begins at the Havilah Beardsley House. Dr. Havilah Beardsley’s vision for what would become Elkhart is the start of the city we know today. If you look at the oldest brick residence still standing in Elkhart as the cornerstone, there are many important historical events and places that encircle Island Park.  In fact, a dozen or more historic facts have been selected for inclusion in this 1.6 mile hike, presented by PocketSights, a company which Ruthmere has partnered with in the past to deliver other interesting historic tours accessible with Smartphone technology.

But history is only one component of this new program. The idea to combine a fitness element is a nod to those who seek variety in their exercise routine. Fitness is a health concern for the community. Elkhart County’s health rankings indicate that one-third of the adult population is considered obese, increasing the risk for other serious medical diagnoses, a ranking that is higher than both state and national averages. One way to combat these alarming health statistics is to get people to move more.

The History Hike for Fitness partners with the Elkhart Fitness and Aquatics Center to provide the fitness components to make this a workout. Their team has supplied videos for the 13 fitness stations and is the starting and ending point for the hike. This means that participants can gain the advantages of learning more about their community and take control of their health and wellness at the same time.

The route of the hike uses Elkhart’s Riverwalk, the public sidewalk on the southside of Beardsley Avenue, the bridge leading to the City of Elkhart’s Island Park, and finally back across the Elkhart River to the Elkhart Fitness Center. This route required a partnership with the City Parks department, resulting in a productive and encouraging second partnership for the project.

The application is available free of charge to anyone with a smartphone. As a part of the City of Elkhart, the Riverwalk is already accessible to people of all abilities. The walk features changes in elevation – a bonus for an efficient work-out. The designated trail loop is safe as it does not cross any streets.

Given the urban development of Downtown Elkhart and the award-winning redesign project, this area is ripe for a program that provides access to all citizens and provides both historical interpretations of local history and fitness tips via a walkable app designed to encourage and motivate physical activity and promote a sense of community among users.

The Community Foundation of Elkhart County provided a $5,000 grant to help fund startup costs for the project. Sponsors have also signed up to provide continuing support for the History Hike. These include InterCambio Express, Inova Federal Credit Union and Centier Bank, all of which have a stop on the History Hike or are near to the hike’s path. The Salvation Army is also a sponsor and supportive of the project.

PARTNERS

SPONSORS

Potential users of the PocketSights’ History Hike are those already associated with Elkhart Health and Aquatics Center, students who come to Ruthmere on field trips and typically picnic at Island Park, adults who work or attend classes in downtown Elkhart who are looking for a mid-day physical activity, and visitors to the area who want a unique fitness experience. In addition, families living in the area and development of several new housing projects provides an enhanced quality of life experience.

Here are a few of the history highlights participants will find along the way.

·         EARLY CITY: Elkhart was platted in 1832, encompassing about nine square blocks to the west of Main Street, which runs North and South on the left hand side of this hike. He purchased approximately 50 acres of land for $1,500 from Chief Pierre Moran who had been given the land through the Treaty of Chicago in 1812.

·         MEMORIAL BRIDGE: The bridge you are walking over is the fifth bridge to cross the St. Joseph River at this point. This bridge was built in 1927 to honor the military men who died in battle during World War I. When Havilah Beardsley platted the City of Elkhart in 1832, access across the river was via a rope ferry.

This project started with an idea pitched by one person, but it grew to involve so many more, including my talented co-workers, like Carolyn Bonanno who designed the logo and is handling the marketing, Andrea Barbour for her tech savviness, and Mark Doddington, who is keeping the track of our corporate sponsors and their funding assistance with this endeavor. And there is, of course, Bill Firstenberger who has encouraged, cajoled and motivated all parties involved to be excited about this new program.

History is all around us and is even happening in the present. Elkhart is fortunate to have so much history confined within the downtown area. This is where it started and enjoying this history, the landscape and cityscape while being active sure sounds like a win-win to me.  See you on the History Hike!