Shelby

History

In 1873, Civil War veteran Horace A. Cowles set up the Cyclone post office in his home one mile east and one mile south of present-day Shelby. In 1879, with the coming of the railroad, a second post office named Arcade was established one mile east of the present site of Shelby. In the winter of 1880, the post office was moved again a mile west to where Shelby is today. Postal authorities objected to the name "Arcade" due to confusion with the town of Arcadia in Valley County. In search of a new name for the settlement, the people chose "Shelby", after the name of an official with the Omaha and Republican Valley Railway (a branch of the Union Pacific). The land which Arcade was established on was owned by Gilbert Van Vorce and Peter Matter. Seeing a need for a trade center in the area, these men gave the railroad company half interest in their property and the town was established. After the railroad retained its on each side and closest to the tracks, eight blocks were located on each side parallel to the tracks. The original streets are still present and retain the names of Walnut, Elm, Chestnut, Pine, Cherry, and Oak. In 1880 the town of Shelby boasted a population of 93 with businesses which included a drug store, hardware store, hotel, boot and shoe shop, livery stable, and physician. J.T. Dunning built the first elevator, located on the south side of the tracks along with the railway depot. The first store, owned by H.C. and Frank Dunning, sold general merchandise. Conrad Thelen and Charles Krumbach opened the first hardware store, which would run for 40 years. Today Shelby has 690 residents, businesses, programs, community organizations, and a new housing development subdivision. Shelby celebrated its centennial in 1979 and its quasquicentennial in 2004.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Brown-belted Bumble Bee

  Bombus griseocollis (De Geer, 1773) · Insecta
  160
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  141
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  116
• Bumble bee

  Bombus pensylvanicus (De Geer, 1773) · Insecta
  94
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  94
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  92
• Common Eastern Bumble Bee

  Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863 · Insecta
  85
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  78

Largest nearby schools

• SHELBY - RISING CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · SHELBY · 212 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• OSCEOLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · OSCEOLA · 119 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• SHELBY - RISING CITY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SHELBY · 110 students · 9.2:1 ratio
• SHELBY - RISING CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · SHELBY · 89 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• OSCEOLA HIGH SCHOOL
  High · OSCEOLA · 68 students · 7.6:1 ratio
• OSCEOLA MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · OSCEOLA · 57 students · 14.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-02-05
  8 km SSE of Tilden, Nebraska
• M 2.8 — 2024-11-21
  3 km W of Harvard, Nebraska
• M 3.3 — 2010-11-18
  4 km E of Octavia, Nebraska