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Ice Skating #onthecircuit

Authored By: The Circuit Trails | January 8, 2020

As trail enthusiasts, many of us can’t help but become engrossed in the ever-evolving history of transportation. The Circuit Trails is comprised of numerous rail-trails, former rail-road corridors which now serve as our beloved trails for walking, biking and more. Many railroads were constructed along rivers since these bodies of water served as key transportation corridors and connectors. While we may think of the boat as the primary vehicle for river travel, scientists tell us that ice skating was not only the first form of river transit but was is in fact the earliest upgrade in transportation technology since the development of the humble foot. Originally invented thousands of years ago for traveling efficiently along frozen rivers, ice skates were first made with blades made from horse or cow bones.

Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society

Various means of transportation technology replaced skating for transit and today it serves primarily as a form of recreation (unless you are this Swedish fellow or friend of the Circuit, Andy Strauss who commutes via the Delaware Canal). In Philadelphia, skating was once a common pastime on the Schuylkill River. The first skating club in America was founded in 1861 – the Philadelphia Skating and Humane Society – named not because they saved stray dogs and cats, but because all members were required to carry a rope with them to be prepared for rescue in case someone fell through the ice.

While skating on frozen rivers is quite rare in the Circuit region today, skating can still be found at numerous artificial rinks in the Delaware Valley. In fact, many of the region’s skating rinks can be reached by Circuit Trails. Take a walk, bike, or run along the Circuit Trails and picture yourself gliding along the river you are traversing. Arrive at the rink of your choice and glide for real. This winter, check out a skating rink #onthecircuit:

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