Yet another view of Lawrence’s fascinating history is the focus of an exhibit that opens Sunday at the Lawrence Public Library.

The exhibit, titled “A Hike Through History on the Burroughs Creek Trail,” invites viewers to envision a walk along the recreational trail in east Lawrence as an opportunity to connect to various events and people in Lawrence’s history. The exhibit was directed by Henry Fortunato, an avid walker and a visiting scholar at the Hall Center for the Humanities at Kansas University.

There’s a lot of historical ground to be covered on the 1.7-mile Burroughs Creek Trail. The exhibit starts with the railroad that traced the trail’s route. Close to the north end of the trail is the site of a camp that housed German prisoners of war during World War II. The exhibit connects the trail to such notable former Lawrence residents as Langston Hughes, the Haskell family and, of course, William S. Burroughs. The spot where Quantrill’s raiders crossed the trail on their way to Lawrence is located on the map as is the approximate spot traveled by emigrants on the Oregon-California Trail. Other parts of the exhibit honor early Lawrence settlers and business people.

It’s a lot of stories for one little trail.

During a recent walking tour of the trail, Fortunato discovered that many people had even more stories, many of which he’d never heard. That’s why people visiting the “Hike Through History” exhibit at the library will be encouraged to suggest other historical stories and vignettes that might be included in future iterations of the project.

After the exhibit concludes its run at the library on Sept. 10, it will be on display for several months each at the East Lawrence Recreation Center, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the Kansas Memorial Union and Watkins Museum of History. At some point, Fortunato would like to see information from the exhibit installed in panels along the trail where they could become part of a permanent way for both local residents and visitors to learn about Lawrence history while taking a walk.

Fortunato and his collaborators have produced an exhibit that’s bursting with interesting facts about Lawrence history. Even people who may be aware of these stories should find the new presentation both informative and entertaining. It certainly offers residents a new way to look at the Burroughs trail and all the history it has witnessed.