Sheepskin Trail

Sheepskin Trail. . , The Sheepskin Trail, named so by railroaders, is a 32-mile branch of the Youghiogheny River Trail and part of the Great Allegheny Passage. This trail adjoins YRT at Wheeler Bottom and enters the Borough of Dunbar., Dunbar, originally called Frogtown, was settled in the 1790s. The town, located 2.2 miles south, is named for Colonel Thomas Dunbar, who led the 48th Regiment of Foot during the undeclared French and Indian War. Along with General Edward Braddock, Colonel Dunbar came to America in 1755 to help retake Fort Duquesne. His camp was located in the area now known as Jumonville., Around 1793, toward the end of that turbulent period, Isaac Meason started his Union Furnace #1. Since that time, the area has been home to a wealth of industry. Dunbar, as part of the Connellsville Coke Region, was vital to the production of steel in Pittsburgh. Some of the coke oven sites still exist and can be seen along the trail., Following the trail beds, the trail will continue on through Uniontown to Point Marion where it links with the West Virginia Rail Trail System. The Sheepskin Trail will connect to the American Discovery Trail, a 6,300 mile-long trail system, stretching from coast to coast, from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Port Reyes National Seashore in California.