Old Katy: Depot, Rice Dryers & Downtown

Old downtown Katy is a compact grid laid along the railroad that named it, and it wears its history on the surface: a water tower rising over the square, restored storefronts and murals, the old churches, and the concrete rice dryers that still tower beside the tracks. This short walking loop stays in the historic core, tracing the founding of Cane Island, the coming of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad in 1895, and the rice industry that shaped everything after. You will pass the town's founding marker on old San Felipe Road, the earliest homes and churches, and the heritage sites that preserve the depot-and-dryer landscape. It is an easy, flat walk through a town that has kept its small-prairie character even as suburban Katy sprawled around it. Wear comfortable shoes and take time to read the murals and look up at the water tower and dryers.