Matson to Weldon Spring - Matson, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 36.522 W 090° 47.691
15S E 692005 N 4275661
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Waymark Code: WMYNXA
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 1
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County of marker: St. Charles County
Location of marker: MO-94, Lucille Ave. & Katy Trail, Matson
Erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Date Erected: 2000

From Matson to Weldon Spring is 4.6 miles, one of the shortest distances between trailheads in Katy Trail State Park. Defiance, at milepost 58.9, is less than two miles from Matson, it received its name after preventing Matson from having the only Katy Railroad stop in the area. An 1898 commercial building in Defiance shows double identity of railroad towns: it has two fronts and faced both the railroad tracks and Defiance's main street.

After another mile and a half, trail users reach Femme Osage Creek. Daniel Boone and members of his extended family settled on Spanish land grants near the Femme Osage starting in 1799. The creek crossing at milepost 57.4 has a Leis & Clark historical marker describing the expedition's May 1804 stop at Boone Settlement.

Half a mile later, users enter Weldon Spring Conservation Area, managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Katy Trail runs through the conservation area for the next six miles. Beyond the Weldon Spring trailhead, the Katy connects to the area's Lewis hiking trail and Clark hiking trail.

At milepost 58.7, shortly before the Weldon Spring trailhead, is a junction with the Hamburg Trail, a converted haul road for the U.S. Department of Energy's Weldon Spring Site. The eight-mile trail connects the Katy Trail to the Weldon Spring Site interpretive center and to the visitor center at August A. Busch Memorial Wildlife Area.

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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