Matson to Weldon Spring

Matson to Weldon Spring. Points of Interest. , From Matson to Weldon Spring is 4.6 miles, one of the shortest distances between trailheads in Katy Trail State Park. Defiance, at milepost 58.9, is less than two miles from Matson. It received its name after preventing Matson from having the only Katy Railroad stop in the area. An 1898 commercial building in Defiance shows the double identity of railroad towns: it has two fronts and faced both the railroad tracks and Defiance's main street., After another mile and a half, trial users reach Femme Osage Creek. Daniel Boone and members of his extended family settled on Spanish land grants near the Femme Osage starting in 1799. The creek crossing at milepost 57.4 has a Lewis and Clark historical marker describing the expedition's May 1804 stop at Boone Settlement., Half a mile later, users enter Weldon Spring Conservation Area, managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Katy Trail runs through the conservation area for the next six miles. Beyond the Weldon Spring trailhead, Katy connects to the area's Lewis hiking trail and Clark hiking trail., At milepost 56.7, shortly before the Weldon Spring trailhead, is a junction with the Hamburg Trail, a converted haul road for the U.S. Department of Energy's Weldon Spring site. The eight-mile trail connects the Katy Trail to the Weldon Spring Site interpretive enter and to the visitor center at August A. Busch Memorial Wildlife Area.