About “The Katy Trail’s Country Store Corridor”
This is the story of a special piece of Missouri countryside on the Katy Trail that we call the “Country Store Corridor” — a 3.5-mile stretch embedded in the Trail’s 237 miles. Book-ended by historic general stores in Treloar and Peers, the Country Store Corridor bookmarks a prosperous, entrepreneurial, can-do chapter in American history. Visitors to this section of the Trail can imagine life in the Missouri countryside before paved roads, automobiles, widespread indoor plumbing or electricity.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries in the U.S.A., few institutions provided more economic and social value to rural families than the country store. With little access to resources common in cities, farm families were self-reliant and their home economics consisted of what they could grow, make, and sell. When a country store opened, it brought a seismic shift. These stores provided the “necessities” (coffee, sugar, canned food, clothes, tools, candy, etc.) of life and served as the glue that held many of these thinly populated places together.
The events described in this book are not just a Missouri story – they are America’s story. They took place along the country’s longest river, the Missouri, and continue to unfold along the country’s longest bike path and one of the state’s most scenic highways, Highway 94.
Where You Can Find the Book!
This new Katy Trail book is available at the beloved Peers Store for FREE until October 1, 2025! Of course, this won’t last forever, so plan your trip to the Peers Store to grab your free copy ASAP.
After October 1, it will be available to purchase in person at Peers Store for $15.
The book is also now available for purchase in our online book shop!
