Anyone who ran on the indoor track at the old Niles-Buchanan YMCA will likely remember the intricate mural that lined its walls.

Created by the late Niles artist and teacher Janet Seaman, the mural’s many panels depicted the 400-year history of the Four Flags area, spanning the years 1600 to 2000.

Seaman believed the wall of the 1/18th of a mile track was the only place large enough to fit the entire history of Niles — a history she once said was more interesting than any other place nearby.

Creating a mural was also a way for her to continue teaching after her retirement in 1993.

“I guess I never retired from teaching. I feel like I have been able to do what I really love — in a different way,” Seaman said in a speech at the 1998 YMCA open house. “In painting historical murals, I have been able to teach history in a visual way that makes it come alive for both children and adults.”

The history of Seaman’s mural lives on in a new book titled, “Indian Trails and Silver Rails.” It was edited by Seaman’s granddaughter, Noelle Larson and Larson’s friend, Becky Kais, a graphic artist.

In addition to every image of Seaman’s mural, the book contains text for each panel written by Seaman herself.

Larson said the book is her memorial gift to Seaman, who passed away in December of 2014. As Seaman’s health failed, Larson said her grandmother talked about the mural often and emphasized how much it meant to her.

“I wanted to create a beautiful tribute to the work she did so that people could celebrate with her what I think she believed was the most important work she contributed to the Niles community,” Larson said.

The idea for creating the book was born in 2012 as Larson began cataloging a family history.

She found a box containing taped-together photographs of the original YMCA mural taken by Charles Rhodes. Larson had seen them before many years ago, but assumed they were long gone.

“When I found them I was just thrilled,” she said. “I didn’t know we had any pictures of it, let alone such a complete picture.”

Larson also found a children’s coloring book Seaman made using her sketches of the mural as coloring pages. It contained text explaining the history of each mural panel. Larson decided to include the text along with each picture in the book, which also includes an introduction from Seaman’s speech “Murals and Things” at the 1998 YMCA Open House.

Seaman began working on the mural in 1993 after the YMCA approached her with the idea of doing something to make the walls of the running track more appealing.

Over the course of the next five years, Seaman enlisted more than 40 volunteers, ranging in age from kindergarten students to adults, to help her complete the mural.

It contains several important events, including the arrival of French missionaries, the founding of Fort St. Joseph, the arrival of the railroad and other highlights.

Larson said Seaman was especially proud of the fact that she involved children in the process, allowing them to become immersed in the history of their community.

“This piece was so important to her because it really encapsulated the spirit of community service,” Larson said.

Most of Seaman’s original mural can be found today in the atrium of the new YMCA building. The old YMCA was torn down last year. The rest of the pieces can be found at different locations throughout Niles, including one at the Niles Amtrak Depot and another at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Copies of the new book will be available for sale during a memorial service for Seaman at 3 p.m. April 25 at the Niles District Library. Larson said she is bringing 100 copies. The service is open to the public.

“It is a celebration of her life,” she said.

Larson is also asking anyone who has a painting by Seaman to e-mail a photograph of it to “romans828publishing@outlook.com” for her continuing collection and celebration of her grandmother’s artistic legacy.