Sedalia, Missouri, located in the west-central part of the state, began life as a railroad town in 1860. Today it is known for its “rails, trails and ragtime.”

Visitors to the town can explore the region’s rich history through a wide variety of entertaining options, including the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, the Missouri State Fair and the Katy Trail State Park, which is one of the nation's largest rails to trails projects. The historical downtown district boasts numerous antique shops, magnificent architecture and the first Carnegie library west of the Mississippi.

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Founded by General George R. Smith and named after his daughter Sarah “Sed” Smith, Sedalia grew quickly once the Pacific Railroad arrived in town. By 1881, this was the intersecting point for four railroads: the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway, Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, Lexington & St. Louis Railroad and Southern Railroad.

The population swelled with the increase in railroad jobs, and businesses to support the railroad employees opened, including retail companies and entertainment establishments. There were numerous saloons and brothels, and the red-light district near the town’s main street became a rough and rowdy place. Later, in the early 1960s, many came to recognize Sedalia as the final destination for the cattle drovers in the television series Rawhide.

The Katy Depot, pictured above, was one of the largest depots between Kansas City and St. Louis. The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railway, affectionately nicknamed “Katy,” built the Romanesque revival style depot, which was designed by Bradford Lee Gilbert and utilized limestone from a local quarry.

The depot saw its last passenger train pass through in 1958. Bought by the Department of Natural Resources and placed on the National Register of Historic Places, restoration was completed on Katy Depot in 2001. The depot now houses a railway museum, the Depot Store and the town’s Convention & Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce.

The Depot also signifies the meeting points of the north and south trailheads of the Katy Trail State Park. The trail, which is more than 225 miles (365 km) in distance, follows the MKT Railway and, for more than half the trail, follows the path taken by explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark and their guide Sacajawea along the Missouri River.