May 24-31, 2021

SEDALIA, MISSOURI

“Sedalia is a city located approximately 30 miles south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 21,387.” Wikipedia

I admit, I only came to Sedalia because it was centrally located to some of the places I wanted to see in Missouri, and more importantly I knew the Missouri State Fairground Campground would have open spots over the Memorial Day weekend. Before I arrived I hadn’t even considered what wonderous sites I might find in this north-central Missouri town.

First, while driving around town I kept seeing the name Katy several places, Katy Trail, Katy State Park, and Katy Depot. Turns out Sedalia was founded as a railroad town, and one of the main lines that ran through here was the Kansas-Texas Line, abbreviated to K-T, which morphed into Katy. A tour of the restored Katy Depot told the whole story. In its exhibits I found the history of the city, the railroad industry which established the city, and other details about the city and its people.

The 1960s television show, “Rawhide” was based on the diary of George C. Duffield from Iowa. Duffield chronicled his work on a cattle drive from San Antonio, TX to Sedalia. The cattle drives came to Sedalia because of the railroad’s access to the northern markets. Once the cowboys reached trails end, they spent time and money in Sedalia, buying new clothes, trying their luck at gambling and enjoying the offerings of the saloons. According to a tourism brochure, in 1866 alone, the Missouri Pacific and MKT Railroad Stockyards handled an estimated 168,000 head of long-horn cattle. A monument dedicated to all the cowboys, pioneers, railroad workers, settlers, and homesteaders whose life came to an early end, can be found on the corner of the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia.

Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime,” lived in Sedalia when his most famous composition, “Maple Leaf Rag,” was published. It was named after the Maple Leaf Club, where Joplin played. The club no longer stands, however, a memorial has been created at the site of where the building stood.

Sedalia is also home to a little treasure in the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, on the campus of State Fair Community College. While the museum is not large, its collection contains some very beautiful pieces.

All-in-all, I’m very glad I got to experience Sedalia.