Portland to Mokane - Portland, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 42.582 W 091° 43.003
15S E 611576 N 4285343
History, mileposts and notice of what to look for on your journey
Waymark Code: WMT0KN
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member MountainWoods
Views: 0
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County of marker: Callaway County
Location of marker: Portland Trail Head, mile post 115.9, Katy Trail State Park
Marker erected: 2000
Marker erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Katy Trail State Park

The distance from Portland to Mokane is 9.1 miles. This segment of Katy Trail Park has several outstanding sights, including an impressive railroad bridge, close-up view of the Missouri River and the geologic oddity of Standing Rock.

The trail is isolated from Highway 94 for the first mile and a half, offering a more wildernesslike experience. Trail users have excellent views of the river from Portland until the highway crossing at milepost 117.3. The trail then passes through Reform Conservation Area starting at milepost 118.9. Among other recreational opportunities, the conservation area contains four fishing lakes.

At milepost 120.4, an uneroded plug of sandstone known as Standing Rock marks flood levels from as long as a century ago. Here, two wayside markers describe the rock and tells the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition in this area. Steedman (pronounced Stedman), at milepost 121.4, developed with the railroad around 1893 and -- like many towns in this section of the Katy Trail -- is named after one of the railroad's St. Louis investors.

Although the 280-foot-long bridge over Auxvasse Creek (milepost 122.2) no longer has a plate identifying the builder and year of construction, it probably was built in the 1920s. Note the large blocks of cut limestone that form the two bridge piers. From Auxvasse Creek, the Katy Trail parallels Highway 94 until shortly before the Mokane trailhead.

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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