Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

From Rail to Trail
Calhoun claims a lengthy history even prior to the railroad, but not until the train's arrival (1870) was the town incorporated. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Co., (MKT or Katy) provided an all-weather dependable route for shipping and receiving manufactured goods. Calhoun's prosperity blossomed, and by 1899 the population doubled to its all-time high of 1,000.

This prosperity was not to last. First, the potteries closed in 1910, then came the Great Depression and two world wars. As Clinton and Windsor grew, Calhoun declined. Its population in 2000 of 491 is less than it was in 1880.

The Katy Railroad discontinued passenger service in 1958. Overbuilt and hard-pressed to compete with larger railroads and modern trucking, Katy filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission in August 1986 to discontinue rail use between Sedalia and Machens. Two years later, Katy merged into the Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific generously donated the rail corridor between Sedalia and Clinton to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in December 1991.

The Department of Natural Resources reopened this line to non-motorized travelers as an extension of Katy Trail State Park on Sept. 12, 1999. Appreciation is due to Paul M. and Jessie Lee Eaton for donating the land on which you stand for the development of trailhead facilities.

[Upper Photo: Calhoun's 75 years of progress is revealed in this 1910 scene along Olive Street on the west side of the square.]
Used by permission, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia.

[Lower Photo: The Calhoun depot, shown here around 1910 was a standard design typical of many along the MKT Railroad.]
Used by permission, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia

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