Victor Rudolph and George Broughton recently announced that the Rudolph family had donated land to The Broughton Foundation. The acreage gifted by the Rudolph family has become part of the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area just outside Marietta, Ohio. The Rudolph-gifted land of about 160 acres is named “Rudolph Family Park.”

An event honoring the Rudolph family and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on July 8th.

Mr. Rudolph, who represented the Rudolph Family, is also the owner of Rucorp. Mr. Broughton is Chairman of the board of directors of The Broughton Foundation. The Foundation is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area.

Rudolph said, “Our family has owned the acreage along Millcreek Road between Colegate Drive and Ohio Route 821 for many years, during which time we have allowed local outdoor enthusiasts to use it responsibly. During that time, interest in hiking and mountain biking has increased dramatically and has made Marietta a destination for hikers and mountain bikers. By including our trails in the Broughton system, we not only accommodate local hikers and mountain bikers, but we also help make Marietta an even more popular destination for visiting outdoor enthusiasts.”

Broughton said, “This is an incredibly generous gift to the Foundation and to the community. Since the Rudolph property is situated between our Park (Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area) and Colegate Drive in Marietta, it is a strategic link between the in-town sections of the Marietta Trail System and the East Muskingum Township portion of the System which includes the Devola Multi-use Trail. Thanks to the Rudolph family, the woodland trails on the Rudolph property will become a permanent component of the Marietta Trail System and will help make our natural areas available to future generations.”

Prior to the Rudolph donation, the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area included a trail system within its 540 acres of mostly undisturbed natural habitat. With the Rudolph gift, The Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area will now build and maintain about 700 acres of adjoining woodland parks and trails. All trails are available for non-motorized public use in the northernmost section of the Marietta Trail System.

George Broughton said, “We take our responsibility to manage our woodland areas very seriously. The mission of our foundation is to be the best privately managed public park in Ohio.”

With the Rudolph property, the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area will be accessible from Ohio State Route 60, Ohio State Route 821, and the Mill Creek Road parking lot in Marietta.

The Rudolph property was conveyed to The Broughton Foundation in June of 2022. It was agreed that the Rudolph Family Park property shall be available for recreational, philanthropic, and community benefit public uses only, and that no motor vehicles (defined as anything with wheels that is propelled or drawn exclusively by power other than muscular or human power) shall be permitted on the premises.

George Broughton said, “Gifts of land, materials, time, financial assets, and gifts in kind are welcome. All gifts to the Foundation are used for maintenance and further development of Foundation property for public use.”

The Foundation’s Trail Committee will be responsible for trail maintenance, construction, signage, mapping, and marking. Maps are available locally, online at www.thebroughtonfoundation.org, and on some popular hiking & mountain biking apps.