Prairie and Plains - Clinton, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 23.069 W 093° 45.464
15S E 433821 N 4248747
Another marker at the Clinton Trailhead.
Waymark Code: WMKRXE
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/25/2014
Views: 2
County of sign: Henry County
Location of sign: US 54, Katy Trail State park, Clinton Trailhead
Sign Erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources & The Katy Trail Association
Date sign erected: 2000
Welcome to the Osage Plains, named for the predominant American Indian tribe once inhabiting the rolling prairies of what wis now western Missouri. Prairie is a French word that trappers used in the 1700s to describe vast grasslands or meadows in present-day Missouri and other states.
From Clinton to Sedalia, Katy Trail State Park traverses what was once tallgrass prairie. Prior to settlement, 68 percent of present-day Henry County and 73 percent of Pettis County was prairie. As pioneers fenced and plowed the land and tamed the frequent fires, trees invaded. By the 20th century, much of the prairie had vanished. Only a few areas escaped the plow.
Oddly, the construction of railroads actually protected a small portion of these prairies. The rights-of-way were often 100 feet wide, yet the railroad generally occupied only 15-20 feet. This left linear patches of unplowed ground on both side of the track. Over the years, trees grew up along the fences, but once the trees were removed, the prairie returned.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation have partnered to restore the trail corridor where possible to pre-settlement conditions. In doing so, visitors might once again experience native wildflowers, sweeping vistas and the "booming" of greater prairie chickens from a nearby lek, the courtship ground of prairie chickens.