Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Welcome to the Osage Plains, named for the predominant American Indian tribe once inhabiting the rolling prairies of what is 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 isolated areas escaped the plow.

Oddly, construction of railroads actually protected a small portion of these prairies. The right-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 sides 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 the prairie chicken.

[Aerial Photo: Missouri Department of Conservation Aerial photo by Kent Korhas.]
[Upper Small Photo: Northern harriers are skilled winged hunters often seen in prairies and pastures.]
Missouri Department of Conservation photo by Jim Rathert
[Lower small photo: Ashy sunflowers are one of the more common prairie species to return once trees are removed and fire is reintroduced.]
Missouri Department of Conservation photo by Jim Rathert.

[Middle photo: Applying fire to the railroad corridor helps to restore and maintain the ancient prairies of the Osage Plains.]
Department of Natural Resources file photo.
[Bottom photo: Greater prairie chicken "boom" during the spring breeding season.]
Missouri Department of Conservation photo by Jim Rathert.

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