Forgotten history hike is perfect social distancing activity

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This unmarked relic is picnic table, possibly original to the park. submitted

CHARLESTOWN — Travel plans canceled? Cabin fever getting the best of you? Suffering from too much family togetherness? Here’s a social distancing travel idea that will get you out of the house and into some fresh air.

Nestled along the Ohio River — as part of Charlestown State Park — is a secluded piece of history, and a perfect day-trip for individuals, couples or the entire family. The Rose Island Loop hiking trail, at .9 miles in length, wanders through the remnants of an abandoned amusement park, closed and never reopened after a major flood in 1937. The ruins of Rose Island offer unburied treasure for hikers, history aficionados and curious children.

According to the trail map, the Rose Island loop (Trail 7) is an easy route, but it’s only accessible from Trail 3, marked as rugged. To be sure, Trail 3 is a paved road heading down to the river that kids might like to run down, but the writing is on the wall for adults who fully understand that they’re going to have to walk back up the steep incline.

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But once down the hill, the intriguing ruins of Rose Island Amusement Park add wonder to the pleasant mile-long hike. Placards and informational signs along the way feature photos of Rose Island in its heyday as well as markers for the depth of the flood waters that eventually doomed Rose island.

Rose Island was a very popular tourist destination for Louisville, Jeffersonville and New Albany in its heyday. Purchased in 1923 by David Rose, the picnic area once known as Fern Grove, soon added a hotel, a swimming pool, a dance hall and a roller coaster (known as the Devil’s Backbone for a nearby rock formation). Most visitors arrived at the Rose Island boat docks by steamboat, which often featured a calliope or live music for the 90-minute trip.

All that is left of the boat docks now are two stone pillars marking the walkway down to the water’s edge.

The Rose Island trail welcomes you with metal pipe archways, and underfoot, a cement sign designating the “Walk of Roses.” Although my recent visit was in the spring, it wasn’t hard to imagine walking under a canopy of roses, while heading down the path to the pool or the dance hall.

Present day visitors to the pool, however, may be disappointed to find the pool filled in for safety reasons. But give your imagination a good workout and picture families in 1920s swimwear splashing around and having fun.

The dance hall, the hotel and the cottages are long gone, but their locations are delineated with poles and signs. The pathways and architectural vestiges are also scattered with signage marking the depth of the flood waters that eventually doomed Rose Island. Some of the water levels are low, but others are overhead and out of arm’s reach. It’s hard to imagine, as far up on the hill above the river as Rose Island was situated, the water rising to that height.

Hikers may also stumble upon numerous unmarked remnants: a cement circle that may have once been a fountain or a fireplace; a dilapidated picnic table with two benches which surely must have seen heavy use in Rose Island’s salad days; a metal foundation that may have marked cages for Rose Island’s zoo.

The intermittent signage tells Rose Island’s story with a timeline and photos of Rose Island both before and after the devastating flood of 1937 which left more than 70% of the Louisville area under water.

Rose Island in the 1930s was undoubtedly a joyful place, filled with people laughing and talking, swimming, dancing, enjoying the company of others. Rose Island as it was during a recent visit is quiet, peaceful, secluded and mostly empty. Indeed, only a handful of visitors were walking the trails — well beyond the six-feet-of-distance suggestion from medical professionals.

It’s just a two-hour drive down I-65, a left turn at Henryville onto Indiana 160, and a left turn onto State Road 62. Established in 1996, Charlestown State Park features approximately 5,000 acres of mostly undeveloped lands. A boat ramp, more than 13 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas and a campground, but the Rose Island Loop Trail is what sets Charlestown State Park apart from the others — a trek through a forgotten time.