Photo by Tyler Silvest Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
If you enjoy some of the wonderful trails that Columbia has to offer, the letters “MKT” might sound a bit familiar. Long before it was a recreational trail, the MKT was actually a railroad line that spanned the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Texas – hence the name MKT. On Wednesday, May 22 at 7:00 pm, the Columbia Public Library will host John Wilke from the Mid-Missouri Rail Fans organization for a program about the Columbia branch of the MKT Railroad and how it connected Mid-Missouri to the rest of the country.
The MKT railroad, also known as the “Katy”, started in 1865 in Kansas and was a valuable link between the Midwest and Texas. It is known for being the first railroad to pass through Indian Territory, what is now the state of Oklahoma. The line actually began as the southern branch of the Union Pacific Railway and was intended to run from Junction City, Kansas to New Orleans, Louisiana. However, those ambitions were never quite realized and the MKT line ran from St. Louis, Missouri to San Antonio, Texas at it’s peak with stops in Kansas City, Topeka, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Galveston, among other
towns.
If you would like to learn more about the MKT railroad check out “The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier” by V. V. Masterson. This book details the history of the MKT railroad and the issues surrounding westward expansion in the wake of the Civil War along with discussing how the railroad changed the development of southern Texas and the Gulf region. If you are interested in the MKT recreational trail, you can explore “Seasons of the MKT Trail” by Gary J. Dietrich. This book will take you through a series of photos that capture the Rails to Trails project which converted the longstanding MKT railroad line to the beautiful recreational trail we enjoy today.
Railroads in general played a major role in shaping the history of the United States. At the library, you can find a variety of books that detail the history and technology of other railroad lines in the U.S. “The Complete Book of North American Railroading” discusses how railroads revolutionized American society, culture, and the economy. It also includes numerous historical and modern photographs of railroads and locomotives from the “Golden Age” of railroads. If you are interested in the general history of railroads, you could also check out “The Story of America’s Railroads” by Ray Spangenburg, which examines the technology, history, and life of the railroads. And of course, don’t forget to join us for the History of the MKT Railroad program on Wednesday, May 22!
