Katy Trail State Park became one of the most successful rail-to-trail conversion projects in the United States during its 25-year history and, as the longest developed rail-trail in the nation, was inducted into the national Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, known as the Katy, began in the 1870s and by the 1890s ran through much of the Missouri River valley. Although it arrived later than other Missouri railroads, including the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City by 1856 and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in 1859, it provided a vital link between central Missouri agriculture and the developing American Southwest. It supported towns along the corridor and helped new towns such as Mokane and Tebbetts spring up rapidly. In the fall of 1986, severe flooding washed out several miles of Katy track, and because repairs were costly, rail use was declining, and the MKT company was in financial trouble, the railroad ceased operations. On Oct. 4, 1986, trains 101 and 102 made the last run from Sedalia to Machens. The National Trails System Act Amendments of 1983 created railbanking to preserve rail corridors by converting them to public trails while keeping them available for possible future rail use. After Katy operations ended, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources received a Certificate of Interim Trail use for the Sedalia-to-Machens corridor in April 1987 and developed the route into a major trail. First named the Missouri River State Trail, the initial section opened in April 1990 between Rocheport and McBaine, followed in August 1990 by a section from Augusta to just northeast of Defiance. In 1991, the trail was officially renamed Katy Trail State Park. By 1996, the corridor from St. Charles to just past Sedalia had been developed, and after a donation from Union Pacific Railroad, the trail was extended to Clinton, with the Sedalia-to-Clinton section opening in September 1999. The final 12-mile section between St. Charles and Machens opened in 2011, completing the 240-mile trail. Katy Trail State Park was made possible in large part by Ted and Pat Jones, whose initial $2.2 million donation allowed acquisition of the MKT corridor and development of the park. After Ted Jones died in 1990, Pat Jones and Edward Jones continued supporting the trail through reconstruction funding after the 1993 flood, a toll-free recovery update number, funds for the Sedalia-to-Clinton opening ceremony, and financing for full-color trail brochures. Pat Jones, an active member and past president of the Missouri Parks Association, helped create a lasting legacy through her support of the trail and Missouri state parks.