Katy Trail State Park - Western Terminus - Clinton, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 23.069 W 093° 45.464
15S E 433821 N 4248747
238 miles long and 100 feet wide, a strange park across Missouri
Waymark Code: WMKQPH
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2014
Views: 3
County of marker: Henry County
Location of marker: Price Lane (US 54), Katy Trail State Park, Clinton Trailhead
Marker erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Date marker erected: September 12, 1999
Marker Text:
Welcome to Katy Trail State Park, one of more than 80 parks and historic sites managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Whether you are beginning or ending your journey, Clinton is the western terminus of the park. From this point, the Katy Trail stretches 238 miles east across the midsection of Missouri, connecting more than 30 communities and cities.
The Katy Trail follows the now-historic corridor of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (MKT), constructed between 1870 and 1893. The MKT contributed greatly to the economy of mid-Missouri by encouraging development of several towns along its route, such Pilot Grove, Mokane and McKittrick. The railroad became the lifeblood of many communities by importing manufactured goods from around the world, and exporting local commodities such as corn, hay, livestock, coal, shoes, and pottery. Railroads provided quick and convenient transportation and even delivered the mail.
Today, trail users can rediscover the railroad heyday as they travel over truss and trestle bridges and past restored depots, making the grade into towns and villages where trains were once anticipated. Yet there is much more to experience beyond the culture of railroads. Osage Indians, Lewis and Clark, and the Boones traveled portions of this same corridor, while steamboats plied the nearby Missouri River. Travelers will also encounter remnant prairies, bottomland forests, towering bluffs and rich agricultural lands, This and much more lies between Clinton and Machens.
Generally, Katy Trail State Park is 100 feet wide and is dissected by a 10-foot-wide trail, surfaced with crushed limestone called "pug." Private land borders most of the park. There are 26 official trailheads and three additional paring areas. The park is open during daylight hours to non-motorized forms of recreation.