Augusta to Dutzow - Augusta, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 34.192 W 090° 52.887
15S E 684563 N 4271173
Katy trail sights and sounds as you cycle along....or walk-----> See photo gallery for text on photos
Waymark Code: WMYV2R
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 0
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County of marker: St. Charles County
Location of marker: Public St. & Katy Trail, Augusta
Marker erected: 2000
Marker erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Marker text:
From Augusta to Dutzow along Katy Trail State Park is 7.70 miles. Augusta has a strong German heritage like many other lower Missouri River towns. This area has several Wineries open to the public. Founded in 1836, Augusta has preserved storefronts associated with the town's boom on the 1890s, the decade the Katy Railroad arrived. These buildings can be seen from the trailhead, but most of the town lies up the hill, away from the flood-prone Missouri River bottom. The river has shifted away from the town since its founding.

The former rail stop of Nona at milepost 69.6 still has a tin grain elevator and old storefront. Both are on private property. Around milepost 71, trail users can look to the left across the river bottom toward Washington.

One of the many wineries in this region is accessible from milepost 73.6. German immigrants brought a tradition of winemaking to this "Rhineland" stretch of the Missouri River, and these fills proved suitable for vineyards. At one time, Missouri ranked second among states in U.S. wine production.

South of the Dutzow trailhead, Katy visitors may take a side trip via highways 94 and 47 to the old German town of Washington, four miles one way. The bridge across the Missouri River, however, has no separate bicycle or pedestrian lane. An Amtrak station in Washington offers service west via Jefferson City and Sedalia and east to the St. Louis 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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