Historians believe the entire area around Sedalia was long occupied by the Osage (among historical American Indian tribes).

When the land was first settled by European Americans, bands of Shawnee, who had migrated from east of the Mississippi River, lived in the vicinity of Sedalia.

Many jobs were associated with men maintaining tracks and operating large and varied machine shops run by both the Missouri Pacific and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad lines.

In the postbellum period, two railroads were constructed connecting it to other locations, and Sedalia grew at a rapid pace, with the rough energy of travelers and cowboys.

At the same time, the town established schools (racially segregated for white and black children), churches, and other civic amenities.

Confederate raids into Pettis County, and the offensive and defensive activities of Union troops against them, kept the inhabitants of Sedalia in [a] high state of excitement.

[14] Missouri State Guard Brigadier-General M. Jeff Thompson subsequently paroled the prisoners of war and moved on, leaving Sedalia to itself.

Once the war was over, many of the thousands of Union soldiers who had been stationed more or less permanently at Sedalia and recognized its potential, made the choice to migrate there from their former homes in other areas.

[16] In the late 19th century, Sedalia was well known as a center of vice, especially prostitution, which accompanied its large floating class of railroad workers and commercial travelers.

"[citation needed] Middle-class businessmen made money off illegal prostitution as building owners and lessees; others did business with people in the industry, who banked, used lawyers, etc., in town.

[citation needed] In the 1870s brothels were distributed throughout the city, but in the 1890s, they became more concentrated above businesses on West Main Street, as the middle class tried to isolate less desirable elements in town.

While the city attracted many commercial travelers and railroad workers, its population of married couples and families also grew.

[12] During World War II, the military built Sedalia Glider Base in Johnson County to the west.

The expansion of the railroad and cattle drives in the late 19th century brought many male laborers to the rough town on the frontier.

It sparked the related rise of a notorious "red light district", with numerous prostitutes who did business with the men in saloons and brothels, which also featured musical entertainments.

In the late 20th century, structural changes in the railroads meant the loss of many industrial jobs, but the city has held on to a population close to its 1960 peak while developing new bases for the economy.

Residents have emphasized the colorful history of the town for heritage tourism, and identified many significant historic structures for state and national recognition.

After securing the property on which to build, and having gained voter approval of a tax to support the library, the Board laid the cornerstone in 1900.

The museum, located on the State Fair Community College campus, is home to the works of many famous artists including Dale Chihuly (1941–), Sam Francis (1923–1994), Helen Frankenthaler (1928–), Sol LeWitt (1928–2007), Robert Motherwell (1915–1991), Julian Schnabel (1951–), and Andy Warhol (1928–1987).

While the plan was for the pop/rock/bluegrass festival's selling about 50,000 tickets, an influx of about 184,000 fans and many rock bands strained the capacity of the fairgrounds and the city.

The festival, hosted by Wolfman Jack, took out a full-page ad in Rolling Stone magazine and attracted people from outside the region.

Historic photos are projected during the play to represent pivotal time frames, with an emphasis on Christmas during the depression and World War II eras.

Sedalia's Christmas heritage is celebrated through favorite holiday and patriotic songs, as well as choreographed dance numbers.

Imhauser, a member of the Board of the Liberty Center Arts Association, created the show in 2008,[54] basing it on her own knowledge, extensive research of Sedalia's history and from her book All Along Ohio Street.

The premiere was attended by Lon McCallister, Colleen Townsend, Luanne Hogan and Betty Ann Lynn.

[61] In the American television movie The Day After (1983), aired by ABC, Sedalia is destroyed when the Soviet Union attacks the Minuteman II Missile silos around the area.

Concern remained high until all the missiles were dismantled between 1992 and 1997 as a result of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia.

The classic, long running Western series Rawhide, which ran on CBS from 1959 to 1966, featured Sedalia as a destination for cattle drives.

It starred Eric Fleming as the trail boss, Gil Favor, and the emerging Clint Eastwood as the "ramrod" (i.e., second in charge), Rowdy Yates.

[63] Sedalia was also the hometown to Joe Harris, vocalist and trombonist with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra and later MGM Studios.