The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail was founded in the fall of 1997 to build community support for acquiring the 20-mile former rail corridor in Lapeer County.
In spring 1999, after a year-and-a-half campaign, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission approved purchase of the corridor using a $449,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant.
Prior to the 2000 Michigander bike ride, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail constructed six bridges over former railroad trestles (a seventh came later).
The group contributed to the development of the initial master plan for the Polly Ann Trail.
Riseman: The Riseman family donated a ten-acre parcel adjacent to the trail, including the Belle River and wetlands, to the Lapeer Land Conservancy, and it is now owned and managed by the Six Rivers Land Conservancy.
The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail contributed $10,000 toward acquiring a seven-acre parcel linking the trail to General Squier Park, establishing a trailhead.
A bike rack and informational kiosk were donated for Dryden Memorial Park, now a trailhead for the Polly Ann Trail.
In 2012, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail donated over $6,000 to build the Imlay City trailhead, featuring parking, benches, hitching posts, and a message board.
In 2017, the group raised over $115,000 to match a $300,000 development grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
In December 2022, The Friends of the Polly Ann Trail, in partnership with Lapeer County, secured a $287,000 Spark grant and supplemented it with $15,000 for a 1.5-mile crushed-limestone trail segment.

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