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Discover Mid-America — June 2004

1896 Sedalia depot recalls rail history

Sedalia, Mo., county seat of Pettis County and home of the Missouri State Fair, was built as a railroad town. In 1857, Gen. George R. Smith, a local landowner, hoping to attract the Pacific Railroad to the area, laid out a town on 160 acres of his property. He named the townsite Sedville in honor of his daughter, Sarah, who was nicknamed Sed. Three years later, he joined D. W. Bouldin to file a larger plat for another town, renamed Sedalia.

The Sedalia Depot, exterior restored in 1998, interiors in 2001. Photo by Ken Weyand

From the beginning, Sedalia was a hub of rail transportation. The Pacific Railroad reached Sedalia in 1861. Although delayed by the Civil War, Smith organized another line, the Tebo & Neosho Railroad Company, which would later be absorbed by the MK&T Railroad Company, which carried its first passengers from Sedalia in 1870 and established offices there in 1873. In 1875, the MK&T carried more than 7 million pounds of freight and sold more than 25,000 passenger tickets.

A map of Pettis County in the 1904 book The State of Missouri by Walter Williams shows a spider-like collection of rail lines (the Missouri Pacific main line and two branches, and the main line of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas line – popularly called the “Katy”) converging on Sedalia. The automobile was a novelty, and the only roads shown on the 1904 map were “RFD routes.” The book noted “there are 14 miles of graveled wagon roads leading into the county seat.”

The Great Depression, beginning in late 1929, coupled with the development of the automobile, dried up passenger service throughout the U.S. By the fifties, Sedalia’s railroads were mere shadows of their former glory, and Sedalia’s boom had “gone bust.” The last MK&T passenger train passed through Sedalia in May 1958. The MK&T eventually abandoned its route across Missouri and the unused corridor became the Katy Trail State Park. (See this month’s feature for details.)

Left behind was a historic relic of railroad days, the Sedalia Depot. Built in 1896, the two-story structure was the largest and most important depot between Kansas City and St. Louis. One of many similar depots built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Sedalia facility was designed by Bradford L. Gilbert, chief architect for the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. It was built by George Goodlander of Fort Scott, Kan., who also built a large Katy depot in Parsons, Kan.

Depots of the era were subject to sparks and dirt from thundering locomotives, and many wood-frame railroad buildings had burned. The Sedalia depot would be built of stone and brick. Its central heating system in the basement replaced dangerous stoves of earlier depots. Passengers could see oncoming trains through projecting windows, and overhanging eaves protected travelers from the weather.

The new depot included a formal dining room, all-night lunch room, separate waiting rooms for men and women, and other amenities. A complete floor was reserved for MK&T offices. According to the Sedalia Heritage Foundation’s website, “everything and everyone from bicycles and brides, from plows to prostitutes, from caskets to cowboys arrived and departed …” When it was completed, the building was called a “masterpiece of architectural detail and construction.” The dining hall was considered to be Sedalia’s finest eating establishment.

Railroad artifacts on display at the Sedalia Depot. Photo by Ken Weyand

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Depot’s exterior was restored in 1998 with the interior completed in 2001. The restored Depot is owned by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and managed by the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce.

Railroad exhibits opened in June 2003. Artifacts of MK&T history, old photographs and interactive exhibits are featured, including two telegraph sending units which visitors are invited to use. The former women’s waiting room contains an extensive display devoted to noted women and their achievements. An audio-visual presentation shows views of early-day Sedalia and its railroads. The Depot Store sells a variety of regional books, locally produced jewelry and a variety of other merchandise.

Deborah Biermann, Executive Vice President of the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce, said the Depot serves as the headquarters for their group as well as the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and provides an interesting introduction to Sedalia. “The first six months we were open, we had more than 8,000 visitors,” she said. The day I visited the Depot, a woman from California remarked, “this is fascinating. I wish my trip here had been on the train!”

Located in Sedalia’s Historic District at 600 East Third Street, the Depot also serves as an access to the Katy Trail. Free parking is available. Depot hours Jan. through March are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through December, hours are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information visit www.sedaliakatydepot.com or call (660) 826-2222.

Discover Mid-America founder and Senior Contributing Editor Ken Weyand files regular reports on notable Midwest destinations. He can be reached at kweyand@gbronline.com.

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