Mokane to Tebbetts - Mokane, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 40.478 W 091° 52.236
15S E 598244 N 4281276
Sites and scenes along the trail in this segment
Waymark Code: WMT2WK
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Geo Ferret
Views: 0
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County of marker: Callaway County
Location of marker: MO-C & Katy Trail State Park Trailhead, Mokane
Marker erected: 2000
Marker erected by: Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Marker text:
Mokane to Tebbetts
The 6.2 miles from Mokane to Tebbetts have changed very little since the early days of the Katy Railroad. Like Tebbetts and many other towns along the trail, Mokane was established as a railroad town. Its name comes from this line's builder, the Missouri (MO), Kansas (KAN) and Eastern (E) Railroad, which was part of the Katy Railroad.

Toward Mokane and beyond, Katy Trail State park runs in the Missouri River floodplain under the bluffs, as far from the river as possible to avoid floods. The bluffs above the trail are composed of Jefferson City dolomite, a magnesium-rich limestone formed several hundred million years ago when Missouri lay under shallow inland seas. In the fertile floodplain to the left of the trail are fields of corn and soybeans.

The Katy Trail crosses two large streams in the Mokane-Tebbetts segment: Middle River (milepost 128.7) via a 1926 steel through-truss bridge, and Hiller's Creek (milepost 130) via an 1897 pony-truss bridge. A through truss bridge has added support at the top.

Tebbetts, founded in 1892 as a stop on the new line to St. Louis, reveals its railroad past in the open space at the town's center, once the location of the depot and sidetrack.

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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