This 76-foot-tall steel sculpture in Agri-Symbol Park, located along Shelby’s U.S. Interstate 80 exit, symbolizes the importance of agriculture to the region. Photo courtesy of City of Shelby
By Ashley Rullestad
The town of Shelby, made up of a small but proud contingent of nearly 700 residents, is located in the picturesque fertile farmland of southwest Iowa in Shelby County.
The town, of course, was named for the county. James Hawkins received the tract of land which became Shelby for services rendered during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). B.F. Allen purchased the land from Hawkins and originally platted the town in 1868. The village was incorporated in the fall of 1877 and its first mayor was John W. Harrod.
The city was founded as a railroad town in 1870 and soon became a lively community between the Nishnabotna River and Mosquito Creek, according to the city’s official website. The town of Shelby has the distinction of being the first in Shelby County to boast railroad facilities. The Rock Island Old Stone Arch culvert bridge, built with limestone from nearby Earlham, carried the tracks over Little Silver Creek.
The Rock Island Railroad left town when it constructed a shortcut from Council Bluffs and Atlantic that saved 17 miles of winding route. Part of that route is now known as the Rock Island Old Stone Arch Nature Trail, which includes the Silver Creek Stone Arch Bridge just east of Shelby.
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