After two years of attending meetings and Indianapolis hearings and drafting documents, a group of mostly volunteers has reason to cheer.

A 76-mile canal route from the National Road to the Ohio River has been designated as the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway by Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Commissioner Karl Browning, a July 23 INDOT news release says.

The route that travels through Wayne, Fayette, Franklin and Dearborn counties “is expected to benefit communities along the way from tourism and related economic development,” noted Marvin Jenkins, INDOT Seymour District public information officer.

“I am just so excited,” said Candy Yurcak, Metamora, the Whitewater Canal Byway Association president. “This is the first step toward lots of wonderful things to come.”

She had a hunch the application to become a scenic byway would be successful. When Yurcak made a final presentation June 10 in Indianapolis to a panel of decision makers, with other committee members there to answer questions, “that was so well received we got a standing ovation at the end.”

"In many cases, our Hoosier highways simply get you from Point A to Point B, but Indiana’s scenic byways do that and so much more," said Browning.

“Scenic byways tell stories of historical significance,” according to Jenkins. “This byway recalls a day when settlers and commercial investors were attracted to southeast Indiana by canal construction that began in the 1830s. While canal boats transported cargo, communities formed along the route. Mills and factories were established. Manufacturing and agriculture flourished.”

The byway begins at Hagerstown and passes through Cambridge City, Milton, Connersville, Laurel, Metamora and Brookville on its way to Lawrenceburg and the Ohio River. From north to south in Indiana, it uses portions of state roads 38, 1 and 121; U.S. 52; Old U.S. 52; and U.S. 50. It also dips into Ohio before ending. Ohio units of government must obtain the designation as a byway for that section.

Other towns near the byway should benefit from this official nod. “The Whitewater Canal Byway Association (WCBA) has created three loops that could make the Whitewater Valley a vacation destination,” Yurcak said. “These loops are not designated scenic byway, but are marked with signage and in promotional materials to showcase what else the Whitewater Valley has to offer our guests.” Sites include Brookville Lake; Batesville and Oldenburg; Milan, with its museum about the 1954 Indiana state basketball champions; and Perfect North Slopes in Dearborn County.

How is the project moving forward? The 17-member WCBA board held an organizational structure retreat in April and formed five standing committees: history, education, marketing, finance and community outreach.

Funds are needed to support the effort. “We have started a membership drive on our Web site www.whitewatercanalscenicbyway.org,” according to the president. There are six levels of support: $10, Explorer (student); $25, Pioneer (family or single adult); $100, Helmsman (contributing level); $200, Canal Boat Captain (sponsoring level); $500, Canal Boat Builder (corporate level); $1,000, Settler (lifetime single adult membership).

About $20,000 is needed for 200 byway signs, costing $100 each. Businesses, organizations and individuals may purchase signs. A decal on the back of each sign will list the donor. “We’ve sold several of them,” says the president. Interested persons may contact Yurcak at 765-647-5879.

The Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway joins just three other Hoosier byways. One other received state designation, Indiana’s Historic Pathways (www.usi.edu/ hsi/resources/IHP.asp). The route is often described as the "Y" formed by U.S. 50 and U.S. 150 in southern Indiana. The roads along Indiana’s Historic Pathways were first formed by bison as they traveled between salt licks in Wisconsin and Kentucky. Later, American Indians followed the buffalo along these same routes, then stagecoaches and railroads used them.

Two other Indiana routes – the Historic National Road (www. indiananationalroad.org) and Ohio River Scenic Byway (www.ohioriverscenicbyway.com) – gained national status. Travelers on Indiana’s Historic National Road Byway, which mostly parallels U.S. 40, will view historic villages with traditional main streets, visit a century-old farmhouse that’s been turned into a museum and experience first-class antique shopping. Indiana’s Ohio River Scenic Byway offers some of the most spectacular views in the state and an experience that takes travelers back to the days of dynamic river towns, an INDOT news release stated.

Debbie Blank can be contacted at 812-934-4343, Ext. 113; or debbie.blank@ batesvilleheraldtribune.com.