June 2026
A total of 74 Missouri landowners have received approximately $1.95 million in just compensation following a long-running federal takings lawsuit involving the conversion of a former railroad corridor into the Rock Island Trail. The affected properties are located in Morgan, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Miller, Benton, Franklin, Pettis, and Cole counties.
The claims stem from the transfer of railroad easements to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2015 for development of the Rock Island Trail. The landowners argued that while railroad easements had existed on their property, those easements did not authorize conversion of the corridor to public recreational trail use without compensation. In 2022, the United States Court of Federal Claims agreed that a compensable taking had occurred under the Fifth Amendment.
Attorney Meghan Largent of Lewis Rice, who represents many of the landowners, said the lawsuit was never about opposing the trail itself but about ensuring constitutional property rights were respected. “The landowners in this lawsuit simply sought to exercise their rights under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which prohibits the taking of private property for public uses without providing compensation.”
The recent settlements conclude claims for 74 landowners, including 51 who settled earlier this year and an additional 22 whose settlements were finalized more recently. Government payments also include attorneys’ fees, meaning the full settlement amounts go directly to the landowners.
The litigation, however, is not yet complete. Seventeen landowners rejected the government’s settlement offers and will proceed to trial in the United States Court of Federal Claims in November, where the remaining issue is determining the amount of just compensation owed. As part of that process, the presiding judge is expected to personally inspect the affected properties.
The lawsuits arise under the National Trails System Act, which allows abandoned railroad corridors to be preserved through “railbanking” and converted to public recreational trails. When such conversions exceed the scope of the original railroad easements, affected property owners may seek compensation from the federal government under the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause.
The Rock Island Trail State Park, established as Missouri’s 93rd state park in 2023, is planned to extend approximately 144 miles from Windsor to Beaufort and eventually connect with the Katy Trail to create an approximately 450-mile statewide trail system. While several trail segments have opened, most of the corridor remains under development.