Pilot Grove to Clifton City - Cooper County - Pilot Grove, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 52.537 W 092° 54.741
15S E 507603 N 4302977
Points of interest and history along the Katy Trail State Park.
Waymark Code: WM11K26
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 11/04/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 1
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County of marker: Cooper County
Location of marker: 1st St. & Roe St., Katy Trail State Park Trailhead, Pilot Grove
Marker erected: 2010
Marker erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Marker Text:
The 12.1-mile ride to Clifton City begins with a long and straight passage between farm fields, and trail users can expect gradual downhill grades to the Lamine River. Between mileposts 207 and 208, the elevated railroad bed over Taylor Branch bordered by oak woodlands, has exceptional views. At milepost 209.2, you'll find the village site of Pleasant Green, founded in 1873 as a MKT depot settlement that prospered as an agricultural shipping point. During the Civil War, Clear Creek was a camp site during a march of Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and 2,400 troops.

The historic Pleasant Green plantation house is visible at the milepost 210.9 road crossing. A gravel road leads one-third of a mile to highway 135. On the way, the 1868 Methodist Church is on the right. You can return to the trail by the same gravel road.

As the trail skirts the Lamine River, watch for Sweeney Quarry on your left at milepost 212.7. Traveling next to the Lamine provides excellent views of the river and bottomland forest. Don't miss one of the few remaining railroad signal lights on the Katy Trail at milepost 213.2. Just before reaching Clifton City, riders cross the lamine at milepost 214.2 on an old through-truss railroad bridge; the 1913 vehicle bridge is just upriver. After the Lamine, the terrain begins to shift from the more rugged landscape of the Ozarks Border to the flatter, more open Osage Plains.

[Please see detail photos for more text on the attractions of this trip.]

Web link: [Web Link]

History of Mark:
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT)
Begun in the 1870s, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, also known as the Katy, ran through much of the Missouri River valley by the 1890s. With the Pacific Railroad running from St. St. Louis to Jefferson City by 1856 and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad becoming the first cross-state railroad in 1859, the Katy was a relative late comer to the railroad game. However, it provided a vital link between the agriculture of central Missouri and the quickly developing American southwest. The Katy added to Missouri's prosperity, supporting towns along the corridor and causing several new towns, such Mokane and Tebbetts, to spring up almost overnight.

The Katy Ceases Operation
In the fall of 1986, the Katy experienced severe flooding that washed out several miles of track. Due to the cost of repair, the fact that railroad use was in decline, and the company was in financial trouble, the company decided to cease operations. On Oct. 4, 1986, trains 101 and 102 became the very last trains to use the corridor and the Katy ceased operations on its route from Sedalia to Machens.

The Railroad Amendment
The National Trails System Act Amendments of 1983 provided that railroad corridors no longer needed for active rail service can be banked for future transportation needs and used on an interim basis for recreational trails. When the Katy Railroad ceased operations, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources filed for a certificate of interim trail use for the corridor from Sedalia to Machens and it was granted in April 1987. The department used the opportunity to develop one of the most successful rails-to-trails conversions in the United States.

The Development of Katy Trail State Park
The first section of the trail from Rocheport to McBaine opened in April on 1990. In August of 1990, another section from Augusta to jut northeast of Defiance opened. The rail corridor from St. Charles to just past Sedalia was developed by 1996. Through a donation from the Union Pacific Railroad, the department then extended the trail to Clinton, opening the section between Sedalia and Clinton in September of 1999. Funds from the Missouri Department of Transportation will be used for construction of the final section of Katy Trail from St. Charles to Machens. Future plans include the Rock Island Trail-Katy Connector, which will connect the trails at Windsor to Pleasant Hill.



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freezer54 visited Pilot Grove to Clifton City - Cooper County - Pilot Grove, MO 05/02/2021 freezer54 visited it