Sedalia, Missouri is a popular vacation and travel destination for seniors.

Sedalia MO History

General George R. Smith laid out a town on land that he owned and filed the plat of a town he called Sedville on Nov. 30, 1857, hoping to lure the railroad there. Sedalia, named after Smith’s daughter Sarah whose nickname was Sed, did not begin to prosper until January 1861 when the first passenger train of the Pacific Railroad arrived. From that moment, the destiny of the city rose and fell with the fortunes of the local railroads.

Sedalia prospered by the extensive development of the Southwest trade. This trade steadily increased throughout the Civil War in spite of numerous Confederate raids on the wagons. In the years after the Civil War, Sedalia and Pettis County experienced the greatest percentage increase in population in their histories. Construction, business and trade dramatically increased as well. Virtually all of these increases were due to the effects of the railroad.

The 1940’s and 1950’s were a period of gradual decrease in railroad business. In addition, the use of automobiles cut into railroad passenger traffic.

Sedalia Missouri – Missouri State Fairgrounds & Vacation Area

Today, the country's largest rail to trail conversion, the Katy Trail State Park, winds through the town. The Missouri State Fairgrounds and its 396 acres of exhibit areas, 2,200-site campground and historic facilities have become one of the hallmarks of Sedalia.