Sedalia

Sedalia, now a bustling hub of central Missouri, began as a mere interruption to a vast expanse of prairie grass. George R. Smith purchased 337 acres of treeless prairie in 1856, leading his neighbors to question his sanity. When he persuaded the Pacific Railroad to locate a depot on his land, his image—and that of his Sedville—began to change. Sedville, later Sedalia, soon became the county seat of Pettis County and earned a reputation as the Queen of the Prairies. Sedalia chronicles the t...