The following are excerpts about Nodaway Mills, Shambaugh and Page Co.  They excerpts have been produced by OCR of electronically scanned pages.  As of this time, they have received very minimal review and editting.  I have tried to maintain the substance, but not always the exact form, of the original text. -- dg 1999-08-12

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HISTORY OF SHAMBAUGH
Nodaway Mills
(1860-1880)

The early mills were located on the rivers where the running water furnished the power to turn the mill wheel. The mill was a center-the pioneers came to this place for their lumber, grist and flour. They visited their neighbor, collected the mail, bought a few staples and if necessary held court.

On the west bank of the curving West Nodaway River, six miles south of Clarinda on section 36 of Harlan Township a mill was built. In 1858-59 a man named Richardson erected a saw mill which was propelled by the waters of the Nodaway. It passed through different hands, until a man named String, in company with another man, sold the mill to James Shambaugh in the 18601s, who then added a small grinding concern.

John Tabor operated the "Nodaway Mills" and kept a stock of staples and tobacco, which he sold to customers of the mill, which made him the first to sell goods. It is told of John Tabor-he said he made $1 a day working at the mill, the dance cost 250 and held never get ahead that way.

The post office was at the mill originally, with Tabor as first post master. William McLean of Bracken and McLean was next postmaster serving ten years, 1876-86.

No effort was made to start a town although William McLean had a storeroom down by the mill in 1875. He formed a partnership with T.J. Bracken, which existed 4 years and after that McLean assumed full control. His son., William McLean, entered the store as a clerk in 1876. There was an assembly room above the store and this was used as a place of worship and Sunday School.

In early years the Nodaway River was not so deep or wide, it could be forded or ferried across. An iron bridge was built in 1870 near the mill, probably replacing an existing wooden bridge.

The life-blood of the prairie, the railroad, became a reality in 1879 when the CB&Q run from Clarinda down to Burlington Junction. In the vicinity of the mill a depot was built and began shipping stock and grain before the Wabash ever reached Clarinda, The Wabash road came from Stanberry, Missouri, up the Harlan Twp. line, just east of the CB&Q, and on to Clarinda. Mr. Shambaugh had paid the railroad company considerable money and when the railroad was built through this section of the state the name of the post office was changed from Nodaway to Shambaugh.

This name change was not official until 1881. In a record book at the Shambaugh post office a page is headed Nodaway Mills, this page has an entry made Sept. 1881. A December 1881 entry has been crossed out and reentered on the next page of the book which had been headed Shambaugh.

Since a railroad builds many a town, it was only natural that business would spring up around the place where stock and grain was shipped. In 1880 before the town of Shambaugh was platted we find Aiken, Turner, and McLean buying and shipping hogs and grain. Butler Bros. and J.T. Porter in the grain business. These were commission men as no elevator was ever built.
 

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In this far southeast corner of Harlan Township on the Nodaway River and still known as Nodaway Mills in 1880 (probably called Shambaugh), was the CB&Q railroad, flour mill, saw mill, two stores, blacksmith shop, wagon shop and a hotel. The dry goods and grocery run by Wm. McLean, M.A. Pierson, MD and F. E. Potter, MD. came to Nodaway Mills in 1880, at the end of one year moved to Clarinda. C. H. Herriman was blacksmith, Hamm & Potter-Hardware. In 1880 John C. Thompson superintended the building of the mill at Shambaugh and after it's completion was employed as manager.

This was Nodaway Mills officially as we move into 1881 when James and Julia Shambaugh platted and recorded the town of Shambaugh.

SHAMBAUGH

Shambaugh was the first station south of Clarinda on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad, built October 1881. James Shambaugh and his wife Julia platted a part of a section and offered lots for sale, the first day 50 town lots were sold. In August of 1882 Roy Beery was born, the first child born in the town after it was called Shambaugh, the house still stands on Main Street. First to have businesses in this town -

Bracken and McLean - General goods.
Potter and Large - Drugs (doctors who built a store around 1888).
George Crabb - Harness shop (1888-89).
Rumsey, Jim Brown, C. H. Herriman, J.F. Hay - Blacksmiths.
B.F. and W.F. Beery - Hardware and lumber.

Postmaster after McLean was D. Claytor. In October 1889 C.T. Cox was appointed. He had an interest in the general store of his guardian, William McLean in 1883 and later connected with his father-in-law, D. Heidelbaugh.

Solomon Beery and Jacob Hamm had a general store on the west side of Main street-a partnership formed around 1882. Mr. Hamm returned to farming and sold his share to Mr. Beery in 1888. His day book of 1895 gives

D.W. Brown for 6 1/2 # of sugar .50
1# coffee .50
1 sack salt .10
2 bars soap .10

1 doz. pearl buttons .15
3 yd. black calico .23
100# of flour $2.80

1 pr. overalls $1.00

This store was at the south end of Main Street on the west side. A saying in the Kunkel family comes from this store. Seems sugar in those days came in barrels, always brown. When the sugar barrel was empty, Uncle Sol always invited some kid to "lick the barrel" - there was always some stuck around the edges. One day he told a neighbor boy, one of the Goods, to lick the barrel. He ran for it but after while was just sitting - looking rather sick and was asked what was wrong, had he eaten all the sugar? The boy growled 'late all that was sweet". This store burned to the ground in 1900.

Nehemiah Woodruff, in 1886, had the only hotel and feed stable. The hotel was at the northeast corner of Main Street, later moved to his farm.
 

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Mr. Shambaugh owned two mills. One was two miles south of Clarinda - called the upper mill. The other one at Shambaugh was called the lower mill. The flour which could not be disposed of in the home locality, was sent to Omaha, Denver,, St. Joseph, and any other point where he could make shipment by wagon. The mill was struck by lightning and burned around 1898. Harve Brown remembers being at Mt. Joy  school, some one came to the door and said "fire in Shambaugh", everyone took to the road running, the youngsters arriving first at the scene.  Another mill was built. Mr. Shambaugh also had a mill in Clarinda.

The river curved towards Shambaugh with a covered bridge across it near the mill. After leaving Main Street at night, it was very dark and any one going east out of town would whip up their horse and race through the covered bridge not stopping once until they were all the way through the woods onto the next road.

In the early 1900's there was Doctor Clark, William Gray- Real Estate; W.D. Hakes & Cook-heavy hardware; E.J. Hersey- flour mill; Jesse Huddle was Postmaster and Abe Linebaugh - Hotel.

After the old hotel was moved it's place was taken by the Farmer's Union store. Behind the main street stores was the Westapher brick kiln and near the railroad track a creamery. Cans of milk were brought to the Creamery, separated and the cream made into butter. The cans of skim milk went back to the farms on the return trip.

The hotel was built on the west side of Main Street and it cost 250 to eat and 500 to stay overnight. I-n 1902, the telephone came into used for seven years it was in the north room upstairs in the hotel. In 1909 a committee bought a lot and built a house for the telephone office - this was on main street. The office continued in use until 1959.

The hotel became a boarding house after 1910, it was also the home of the Linebaugh's daughter, Lulu and husband Ora Nicholas. Ray Fulk stayed here when he was with Howard's store, $5 a week for board, room wash and patch. A barbershop was usually found in Shambaugh. Bill Howard had a General Store from Nov. 1907 to Feb. 1952. The post office was in this store from 1920-1952. There was another General store across the street run by Armagost. Warren Russell had a garage on the NW corner.

The bank was on the west side of Main Street. It was a branch of Clarinda's Page County Bank. Ed Fulk worked here in 1910 and every after noon took the money to Clarinda by horse and buggy. There were two robberies at this bank, one in 1916. Eight bank robbers terrorized the people of the community for several hours, it was well planned and men were stationed around the town. They later escaped in an automobile but without having secured any of the cash or valuables of the Shambaugh Savings Bank. There were two attempts to blow open the vault-neither successful, but literally demolished the front on the bank building at 2:30 in the morning. People who came to look were sent home. Mrs. Wilcox, the telephone operator, whispered into the phone to the Clarinda Sheriff for help. A guard was outside the window, but her call got through anyway. The Sheriff and three car loads went to help, but the robbers escaped and left no clues. Another robbery in the 30's - they took money and got away but were captured later.
 

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The produce station, run by Ora Nicholas, was at the northeast corner of Main Street from 1932 until 1952. The Postoffice  building, as stands today, has been there for years. At one time there was another
store to the north of it which had a variety of businesses - general store, Sherman Hardware and in 1935 a restaurant, then Dick Denny barbershop. During this year it burned down. The space was used in various ways, during the late 30's benches were set up and movies shown.

The mill ran for years grinding the grain into flour. The mill is gone and the river straightened.

The CB&Q Railroad served Shambaugh until 1956. R.J. Camp was agent from 1917. Boxcar loads came to the depot for the lumberyard. The lumber yard was between the depot and phone office, a branch of the Clarinda Richardson Lumber Co. In Shambaugh it was built in 1898 and managed by Arthur Richardson from 1903 until 1947. Cattle and hogs were shipped out from the stock yards. Passengers rode to Clarinda for the day. On a Saturday in March 1916, 80 passengers rode into Clarinda from the depot.

The school had two rooms and set in the northwest part of town. In the 30's there was a Play Day in May. All neighboring schools were invited for a day of contests in spelling, cifering, races and finally in the afternoon the baseball game. Other attractions were ice cream bars and soda pop. The school was closed in 1959 and consolidated in South Page.

Today Shambaugh is still a town, although the only business is the Post office with Leland Bunting as Postmaster and the Russell Garage. There are empty buildings still standing, reminders of a bygone day.

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PAGE COUNTY

The north half of the territory of which Page County is now composed was once held by a tribe of Indians known as the Pottawattamies. The south half of the County was held by the Sac and Fox Indians, and was included in the purchase made by the government in the year 1836, known as the Platte purchase, which extended to the north line of Missouri, which line was the base of township 69; but after considerable litigation the true north line of Missouri was established through the southern tier of sections in township 67. Until this line was established (1851) the few settlers paid tribute to Missouri, and were considered under the jurisdiction of that State.

The County was named in honor of Captain Page, a gallant young officer who was killed in the Mexican War.

Until 1858 there were two townships Buchanan and Nodaway.

A writer of History, Elijah Miller, wrote on July 4, 1876 (100 years ago) Clarinda, Iowa - He has lived to see agriculture brought to a state of perfection never before witnessed-education raised above the caprice of ignorance-commerce untrammeled, and Christian liberty tolerated.