Bryson in Pettis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
High Point
Photographed by John Ridley, April 25, 2023
1. High Point Marker
You may not have noticed, but at 955 feet above sea level, you have reached the "summit" of Katy Trail State Park. You are standing on the Osage Plains, named after the Osage people who were once the dominant tribe in western Missouri. At that time, the landscape consisted of tallgrass prairie with narrow woodlands along streams and rivers.
Beginning in 1830, agrarian European-Americans dramatically changed the landscape, the effects of which are still evident in the scene around you. More than two-thirds of Pettis and Henry counties were once prairie. But tallgrass soil makes good farmland, and less than one percent of Pettis County's prairie ecosystem now remains. Most of this has fewer native and more non-native plants than before.
The Missoury-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT or Katy) unintentionally contributed to the preservation of remnant prairie. In 1870, the railroad acquired a 100-foot corridor through this landscape. The rail bed itself only occupied about 15-20 feet of that corridor, and the rest was protected from the plow. Although trees soon invaded, the prairie lay dormant beneath the shade. Its seeds
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That fire was provided by Missouri's partners in prairie restoration: the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. On both sides of the trail here, native prairie is being restored. Periodic burning to discourage fescue and the removal of invading elm, red mulberry and eastern red cedar promote native prairie. Grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass are beginning to re-establish themselves. A few of the prairie-indicator species you may see include ashy sunflower, sumac, compass plant and rattlesnake master.
Look around you for birds that favor prairie. Do you see a northern harrier gliding low, the elegant scissor-tailed flycatcher perched on a telegraph wire, the melodic indigo bunting, dickcissel or meadowlark on a nearby fence post, or a bobwhite whistling its name from thick brush? Some visitors have even reported seeing greater prairie chickens crossing the trail!
Unfortunately, the state's prairie chicken population is declining sharply due to habitat loss, primarily a reduction of grassy nesting cover and cover for feeding young. Cooperative efforts to restore prairie, both here and in nearby conservation areas, may provide hope and reverse that trend.
Erected by Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Environment • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Katy Trail State Park series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 38° 35.6′ N, 93° 27.694′ W. Marker is in Bryson, Missouri, in Pettis County. It can be reached from Katy Trail 0.3 miles west of Oxline Road, on the right when traveling west. Located on the Katy Trail, a bicycle/walking path. Quite a long ways from any automobile accessible road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Green Ridge MO 65332, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 37th ARRS Memorial (approx. 10.8 miles away); 351st Bombardment Group Memorial (approx. 10.9 miles away); Whiteman AFB Memorial Park (approx. 11.6 miles away); Swine Pavilion (approx. 12.7 miles away); Missouri Highway History (approx. 12.8 miles away); Missouri: The Show Bee State (approx. 12.8 miles away); Missouri State Highway System (approx. 12.8 miles away); 4-H Building (approx. 12.9 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on May 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2025, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 35 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on May 13, 2025, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
