In 1991, as President of the Forrest County, Mississippi, Board of Supervisors, Mr. Cartlidge received notice that the old unused Illinois Central Gulf Railroad rights-of-way from Varnado, near Hattiesburg, to Bassfield, Mississippi was under notice of abandonment by its owner, the Canadian National Railroad. He immediately solicited the assistance of his friend, a railroad enthusiast and retired Forrest County Attorney, Stone D. Barefield, Sr., to assist with the preservation of the rights-of-way for future community and economic development.  As a result of his pursuing actions and leadership, Mr. Cartlidge is recognized as the founder and principal leader in the creation (1994) of the “Pearl & Leaf Rivers Rails-to-Trails Recreational District”, its planning and design, construction, and its naming, the “Longleaf Trace”. Mr. Cartlidge served on the recreational district’s Board of Directors representing Forrest County as President during the District’s early and developmental years. He directed and oversaw the development of the District’s administrative and operation and maintenance procedures and policies, and the rules and regulations that govern the operation of the Longleaf Trace.

Responded to Mr. Cartlidge’s request by organizing community leaders and elected officials in the counties of Forrest, Jefferson Davis, and Lamar to protect the proposed abandonment for future community and economic development purposes. Mr. Barefield quickly discovered that Interstate Transportation Enhancement funds (ITEA) were available for conversion of old and abandoned railroad lines to recreational trails (rails-to-trails). Having previously served in the Mississippi Legislature, and armed with the united support of the governments in Forrest, Jefferson Davis, and Lamar Counties and the municipalities of Bassfield, Hattiesburg, Prentiss, and Sumrall, along with an outpouring of individual, community, and business support generated by the efforts of Mr. James Moore, Mr. Barefield drafted, solicited, and gained the support of his many legislative friends in creating the authority for creation of recreational districts (Section 55-25-1 et seq. Mississippi Code of 1972 as annotated). The Pearl & Leaf Rivers Rails-to-Trails Recreational District was created by this authority in 1994 by joint resolution of the tri-counties and the affected municipalities.  Mr. Barefield served as the District’s attorney of record during its inaugural years providing legal guidance during the planning and construction of, and during the development of the procedures, policies, and rules and regulations governing the District.

Having considerable knowledge of railroads, and after living adjacent to the old Illinois Central Gulf Railroad during his youth, Attorney Garraway became the enthusiastic leader of the elected and community leadership in Jefferson Davis County which included the towns of Bassfield and Prentiss, and the community of Carson. Mr. Garraway’s support and effort for the rails-to-trails conversion lead to an extension of the abandonment from near Bassfield to Prentiss, an additional distance of more than eleven (11) miles.  He is often referred to as the savior of the conversion project as a result of his convincing Southern District Commissioner Ronnie Shows of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), as time was expiring, to have (MDOT) purchase the rights-of-way being abandoned. An unexpected veto by the Governor of the State of Mississippi had caused the loss of funds for the purchase.  Mr. Garraway served the Board of Directors as President during the construction of Phase I (construction of 39+/- miles from Varnado Switch to Prentiss, the Stations at Jackson Rd. and Epley, and several trailhead parking lots along the route), and became known to his fellow board members, project engineers, and contractors as being not only dedicated, but persistent in his attention to the details of project design and construction.

As Southern District Highway Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), Ronnie Shows distinguished himself as a friend of the rails-to-trails effort by convincing his fellow highway commissioners to provide the necessary funding to purchase the old Illinois Central Gulf rights-of-way from Varnado, near Hattiesburg, to Prentiss.  Commissioner Shows, an outdoor enthusiast (runner/biker), had an immediate and complete knowledge and understanding of the potential public benefits of retaining the old rights-of-way. His efforts, which led to the purchase of rights-of-way by (MDOT) for potential future transportation purposes and its immediate use as a multi-purpose recreational trail, also led (MDOT) to lease the rights-of-way to the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Rails-to-Trails Recreational District for the construction, and operation of a multi-purpose recreational trail.  Commissioner Shows and the administrative and professional staff of MDOT further supported the development of the Longleaf Trace by overseeing the planning and design of the Longleaf Trace and by administering funding and grants, from the Federal Highway Administration, for its construction.