Clinton to Calhoun

Clinton to Calhoun. Points of Interest →. , The distance from Clinton to Calhoun is 9.4 miles. This section of trail generally traverses open pastures and reclaimed land from coal strip-mining operations from the 1950s to 1980s. Trail users encounter wide sweeping vistas with short stretches of woodlands. This section is entirely within the Osage Plains. Prior to settlement, tallgrass prairies dissected by wooded streams characterized the area. Prairie remnants can still be experienced, and efforts are underway to restore the trail corridor to its pre-settlement appearance. Look for these restoration areas especially between mileposts 257 and 258., Remains of the old telegraph lines are visible along this route. The telegraph gave the agent or dispatcher the ability to communicate train departures, arrivals and other important information. The railroad in this section was first constructed in July 1870. The few telegraph poles remaining are believed to be of that time period., One of the more interesting sites along this stretch is the railroad community of Lewis at milepost 259.5. It was named in 1871 after Howell Lewis, land survey chairman for Henry County and great-nephew of George Washington. Commercial coal mining in the county started at Lewis, and it remained a major producing area until after 1987., John Shane, Katy Railroad engineer, lost his life at Lewis Station on Sept. 23, 1904, following the collision of Katy Flyer No. 6 and a freight train. The Flyer, a passenger train, hit an open switch at the south end of the passing track and drove on to the side track. The wreckage formed a mass of debris 30 feet high. Oddly, Shane had replaced engineer William Troegle, who was killed in a train wreck in Boonville earlier that same year., Note: Removal of any artifact in Katy Trail State Park is prohibited. Help us protect Katy Railroad artifacts along the trail by reporting the theft of insulators, old milepost markers and other related items.