Little Turtle Waterway

The heart of the Little Turtle Waterway is the lawn and the overlook plaza along Melbourne Avenue. It is considered the gathering area for downtown events. The plaza serves as an outdoor museum that tells the story of Logansport’s history and the struggles of those that came before us. Even though it’s not handicap accessible, the steps down to the water’s edge provide the park user access to the Wabash River and the life that lives within it. The plaza itself is fully accessible.

This 5-acre park provides the community with a 1.8-mile trail, winding along the Wabash River with beautiful views of the water and the wildlife that lives within it. Trail amenities include commercial benches, authentic benches made of limestone, historical information, 3 different murals, pillars with a seat wall, and an Indiana Department of Natural Resources Public Access Site for watercraft to enter the river. The trail and the drinking fountains are fully accessible.

The park and trail are surrounded with a great variety of trees and warm season grasses with wildflowers.

The LTW Hardcore Corps regularly volunteers to work at beautifying the park and trail by removing invasives and planting desirable trees and other landscape vegetation. They also conduct an annual prescribed burn of the warm season grasses to maintain their hardiness.

The park runs adjacent to a railroad line that is a “short line” that utilizes the track in this area approximately once or twice a week. The entrance into the park crosses the tracks from Melbourne Avenue into the plaza. 

• The iconic railroad signal bridge, the Little Turtle Waterway Arch was first placed along Melbourne Avenue when moved from its original location over the railroad tracks adjacent to Cole Hardwood. The Arch was more recently moved to the 4th Street location during construction of Melbourne St. stormwater project in 2022

• The Little Turtle Waterway restrooms are in the Iron Horse Depot facing Melbourne Avenue

• Drinking fountain at plaza

• 6 benches

• A flagpole

• Electrical outlets available along the wall, and buried in the lawn area;

• Parking for 30+ cars is available along Melbourne Avenue and on the east side of the lawn
  
  

• Outdoor Museum features include:

• The LTW plaza walkway’s granite insets that illustrate many historical events of Logansport such as the founding of the city, the Wabash-Erie Canal, the 1913 flood, and the railroad industry of Logansport

• Wall inserts show the elements of the earth …rain, wind, sun, the moon, water, etc.

• Plaza walkway‘s bricks which have been purchased by individual supporters

• An art feature of 2 cast bronze cranes with grasses, dedicated in 2006

• A limestone relief sculpture of the State of Indiana showing the Wabash River watershed

Little Turtle Waterway is a linear park that sits between downtown Logansport and the Wabash River. The park and trail are named for Chief Little Turtle, who made a significant impact on this area when settlers first came to the confluence of the Wabash & Eel Rivers. It was this community’s way to honor the Native Americans who helped to develop this land. 

The Little Turtle Waterway Plaza, lawn and trail were developed by the Little Turtle Waterway Corporation in 1988 with Mercedes Brugh leading the charge. It began with a Hometown Indiana grant that placed the old signal bridge at its original location, with

the gift of the land by Conrail Rail Corporation, and another grant from the State of Indiana to build what we know today as the Little Turtle Waterway. Over the years various sections of trail, and other improvements, were developed with the help of state and local funds.