MICHIANA — In 1869, a golden spike was driven into a railway, commemorating two railroads connecting to create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, a gold-colored spike was revealed in the middle of State Line Road, between Michigan and Indiana, marking a transitory place and historic moment along the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail.

The 17-mile-long trail’s gap between Niles Charter Township and the city of Niles was closed in late October, making the non-motorized, dedicated system the first to connect the Hoosier and the Great Lakes states.

The spike reveal was part of three celebrations on the trail.

At 9 a.m., Indianans and Michiganders gathered to reveal the spike, new trail branding and symbolically exchange state flags in a celebration of connected states.

At 10:15 a.m., a crowd gathered just past Niles Charter Township’s trail expansion down S. Third Street and into Brandywine Creek Nature Park. Officials celebrated the trail’s connection between Niles and Niles Township feet away from a now-incorrect “Trail Ends” sign near the corner of Third and Fort streets.

At 11 a.m., a crowd gathered one last time, donuts and cups of cider in hand, to celebrate the opening of a riverside trail on Spectrum Health Lakeland’s Niles campus, which was created partially to hook up to the bi-state trail next to it.

Some people drove from one stop to another, but about two dozen biked, led by trail guides in bright neon vests on top of layers of warm clothing.

“This is huge for our region,” said Niles Mayor Nick Shelton at the second of three stops. “It’s huge for the city of Niles. With so many great things happening in our community, it’s very important for us to be accessible to our neighbors, and now we are.”

Shelton, like others, braved the sub-freezing morning air and biked from one ceremony to the other. He said he has tried to bike from where he works at Shelton’s Market before. The trail’s expansion in Niles Township made it much easier.

The expansion was one of many steps to create a unified trail, said Kris Martin, of Southwest Michigan Planning Commission. What began as conversations amongst cyclists in the 1970s turned into action, donations and grant awards from many organizations, individuals, businesses and government entities starting in the 1990s.

Pieces of the trail slowly came together. Cities like Niles, South Bend and Mishawaka created their own trails following the St. Joseph River, then worked with others to bring their trails into a larger system.

The result was the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail, which in turn is part of regional trail system Crossway Trails, announced Saturday.

Evie Kirkwood, St. Joseph County Parks director, especially thanked the cyclists, who began to mobilize to create a trail system long before one came to be.

“It was really you, from the beginning, way before any of the government entities could get mobilized, and said, ‘We need to do this, and we’re going to step up and raise money, and we’re going to help you put the trail in,”’ she said.

Cyclists Elizabeth Martin, of Buchanan, Casey Wagner, of St. Joseph, and Shannon Grace, of Three Rivers, Michigan, each said a long, dedicated trail system was needed, regardless of whether cyclists were devout or lay.

“There are so many bikers in this area, and they all kind of bike in their respective communities, so I love the aspect of bringing multiple communities together,” Elizabeth said.

The trio of friends all rode the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail for the first time Saturday as part of the ceremony, despite Elizabeth’s relative being one of the trail’s planners, Kris Martin.

Elizabeth, Wagner and Grace each said they enjoyed the trail, especially when it went through natural settings.

“Experience it,” Grace said. “View it. Share some silence and stillness, but also get that motion with the trailhead moving you along.”

Many speakers emphasized the variability of activities that could be done on the trail. Niles Township Trustee Chris Vella mentioned walking, running, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Michigan State Rep. Brad Paquette mentioned he brings his rollerblades, hockey stick and puck out to the trail occasionally.

Trail users may have the opportunity to move, in whatever way they please, past the trail’s current endings at Mishawaka and Niles.

Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, Be Healthy Berrien, Michigan Department of Transportation and other groups have finished gathering public input as they map out a way to extend the trail north to Berrien Springs and Andrews University.

Indiana leadership is working to connect the trail to Mishawaka neighbor, Granger.

“We’re going to be all connected, at one time or another,” said longtime trail development leader Harry Thibault. “It’s not going to take 11 years this time. I think it’s going to be a lot quicker. The money is there. The energy is there.”