User:Swimcoach2!/Red Mountain Park

Red Mountain Park is a 1,500-acre public urban park that encloses a 4.5-mile-long section of Red Mountain, a prominent ridge that passes through Birmingham, Alabama. The woodland park contains closed mines and other artifacts of the city's industrial history. The park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States - about 78% larger than Central Park in New York City.

History
It all started in 1819 when hunters came across the area of Red Mountain for the first time. The name comes from the red dust that was covering this area- this color is from a type of iron ore called hematite that was found underneath the ground. It took about 20 years from the time of discovering this land to figure out just how valuable this land and the iron found here was. This iron was especially important to make different materials for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. In 1863, a commercial ore mine was established at Red Mountain by two men named John T. Milner and Frank Gilmer.

Another famous attraction in Birmingham is the Vulcan statue. This statue represents the abundance of iron ore found not only in Red Mountain, but many other places in Birmingham. Made by Guiseppe Moretti, an Italian artist, the Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world

The park is located on land formerly owned by U.S. Steel and devoted to ore mines. The last mine closed in 1971.

Planning for a park on the site began by 2004. In 2005, the Freshwater Land Trust announced a campaign to raise funds to purchase and develop the park, and an organization called the Friends of Red Mountain Park was formed. The initial site was 1,200 acres in size.

In 2006, the Alabama Legislature designated the unfinished project as part of the Alabama state parks system and created the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Commission "to own, preserve, restore, maintain and promote the park." In 2007, the legislature designated the commission a state agency with exclusive control over the park and responsibility for its planning and development. The park's master plan received an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2012.

The park opened to the public in 2012. By 2016, the park grew from 1,200 to 1,500 acres and added features including a 6-acre off-leash dog park.

Using automated traffic counting equipment, the park staff estimated that the park received about 11,000 visitors per month in 2015.

In 2015, the park briefly employed a herd of goats to help eliminate kudzu, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), and other invasive plants.

Activities
There are many different activities available for the public at Red Mountain. There are many trails, walking and bike, that make up 16 miles. The walking and hiking trails at Red Mountain have a variety of attractions built into them. Good views of Birmingham, a sensory trail, and the sites of the old mines used for iron ore back in the day. These historic landmarks are marked with plaques where a description of the areas history is available. Remy's Dog Park is another popular attraction built into Red Mountain Park. This is located pretty close to the entrance so there is not a lot of walking/hiking required. Most of the trails are pet friendly as well so this park is an attraction for the whole family.