BlockBefore

Shelby County, Iowa

20 topographic sheets cover 19 settlements here, and 13 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

13 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Iowa within the United States
Shelby County within Iowa

What the record shows

  • 152 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 13 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 9 buildings, 3 districts and 1 structure.
  • 2 of the 13 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 19 populated places in this county; 19 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

13

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Stone Arch Viaductstructure199898000870
Jens Otto Christiansen Housebuilding199796001584
Floral Hallbuilding198585000765
Harlan Courthouse Square Commercial Districtdistrict199494001099
Irwin Consolidated Schoolbuilding200202001246
Chris Larsen Housebuilding199191001456
Pleasant View Stock Farm Historic Districtdistrict2019100004112
Chris Poldberg Farmsteadbuilding199191001459
George Rewerts Housebuilding199191001450
Saint Boniface Catholic Church Districtdistrict199191001449
Shelby Consolidated Schoolbuilding201413001139
Shelby County Courthousebuilding197878001258
St. Paul's Episcopal Churchbuilding197878001259

Wildfire, 2006 to 2020

36 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 36 of them, burning about 878 acres. None started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning20
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Equipment and vehicle use4
Arson/incendiarism1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
26 March 2014Debris and open burning340 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 March 2014Equipment and vehicle use130 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 October 2015Equipment and vehicle use120 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 May 2013Debris and open burning120 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 March 2014Debris and open burning50 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
22 March 2017Debris and open burning20 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
22 March 2015Debris and open burning15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
15 March 2015Debris and open burning15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1955 to 2026

60 of 303 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 303 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $8,103,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail133
Thunderstorm Wind130
Tornado30
Funnel Cloud5
Flash Flood4
Heavy Rain1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 1989Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
May 1987Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
November 2015Tornado (EF1)Shelby$1,200,000This tornado entered Shelby County from Pottawattamie County from the southwest. The tornado impacted a total of 6 farmsteads in the county as it tracked to the north northeast. Damage at these farmsteads was confined to mainly outbuilding being damaged or destroyed, trees uprooted, and electrical power poles downed. The tornado tracked across the western side of the Harlan Airport without doing damage to the airport, but a wind gust associated with the rear-flank downdraft of the storm was measured at 76 mph at the automatic observing equipment on the east side of the airport. The tornado finally ended just to the southeast of the city of Harlan.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindElk Horn$400,000Thunderstorm winds blew the roofs off of 5 downtown buildings and felled several large trees. Power lines were also downed and substantial damage to the town's grain elevator was sustained.
September 1989Tornado (F0)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 1962Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindPortsmouth$120,000Two sheds destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindElk Horn$100,000Cement shed, barn, and machine shed destroyed. Another machine shed was also damaged.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindPortsmouth$100,000Large confinement building destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindPortsmouth$80,000Two grain bins destroyed.
November 1994Thunderstorm WindEarling$75,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan$70,000Two walls at the landfill destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindHarlan$60,000Storage building destroyed.
June 2014Flash FloodHarlan$50,000Local law enforcement reported that many county roads had water flowing across them in low spots. There was also street flooding reported in the city of Harlan.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindDefiance$45,000Shed and hog house destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindEarling$25,000Machine shed destroyed.
June 1992Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1975Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
September 1973Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
September 1972Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1955Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2010Thunderstorm WindHarlan$20,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 55 to 60 mph downed a large tree which crushed the roof of a house in the Harlan area. Time was estimated by radar.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindJacksonville$20,000Machine shed destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindKirkman$20,000Shed destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindElk Horn$20,000Machine shed destroyed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindKirkman$20,000Chicken house roof and two shop doors destroyed.
October 1994HailPortsmouth$15,000no account filed
June 2000HailPanama$10,000Hail near baseball size did significant car and crop damage near Panama.
October 1994HailEarling$10,000no account filed
April 2001Tornado (F0)Tennant$5,000This tornado briefly touched down knocking down power lines which ignited a few trees. From the same mini-supercell that produced the 2 tornadoes that touched down near Emerson and Carson, Iowa.
July 1994Hailnot stated$5,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindShelby$5,000no account filed
April 1991Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
October 1994Tornado (F1)Manilla to$500no account filed
April 1989Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
April 1989Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
April 2026HailWestphalia-Delayed public report via social media of mail measured up to quarter sized with picture and coin for reference via social media. Time estimated via radar.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindDefiance-Law enforcement report of a barn blown down and damage to trees. Winds gusted to an estimated 90-100 mph.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWestphalia-Trained spotter measured wind gust using a handheld anemometer. Had consistent 45-55 mph gusts and one gust of 70 mph.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindCorley-KHNR AWOS measured thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindShelby-A 67 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station.
May 2024Funnel CloudHarlan-The office received a public report of a funnel clouds 3 miles southwest of Harlan, near 900th Street and Juniper Road.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A photo was relayed to the office of a tree that was blown ontop of a house. At the same time, a personal weather station in town recorded a gust of 60 miles per hour. It was likely that the wind gust the blew the tree down on the house was stronger than this.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindKirkman-A 65 miles per hour wind gust was measured one a personal weather station.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 64 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station.
May 2024Tornado (EF1)Shelby-This is a continuation of the EF-1 tornado that started in Pottawattamie County. This tornado crosses into far southwest Shelby County just east of the intersection of Elmwood Road and 100th Street. Several tree trunks were snapped along Elmwood Road as the tornado continued to the northeast. This tornado dissipated about a quarter of a mile into Shelby County. Peak wind speeds for this final segment of the tornado track were estimated at 88 mph. Peak tornado width was measured at 100 yards, with an average width in this segment of the track estimated at 50 yards.
May 2024Tornado (EF0)Westphalia-This brief spin-up tornado damaged roofs off an outbuilding and downed several trees. The peak winds in this tornado were estimated to be at 80 miles per hour. The maximum path width and estimated average path width were both 40 yards.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 65 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station.
May 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report from the public of quarter sized hail on the northeast side of Harlan, Iowa.
May 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report from the 911 Call Center of 2 inch hail that had fallen 3 miles north of Harlan, Iowa.
May 2024Tornado (EFU)Tennant-At 818 PM CDT, a landspout developed half a mile north of 500th Street in southwestern Shelby County. This landspout tracked north-northeast for approximately two minutes over open farmland. The tornado dissipated just under half a mile northeast of the end of 550th Street. No damage indicators were hit, and there was no discernable damage after the fact, hence this was assigned an EF-U rating.
April 2024Tornado (EF1)Irwin-This tornado touched down in the V and W Petersen Wildlife Management Area, less than half a mile south of the Shelby-Crawford County border between Road M36 and Quince Road. This tornado quickly moved into Crawford County, but not before snapping several tree trunks on 2500th Street. Here, EF-1 damage was noted, with peak winds estimated at 107 miles per hour. The tornado continued into Crawford County where it completely destroyed a barn 1 mile northwest of Manilla, Iowa, resulting in a final EF-2 rating for the tornado. In Shelby County, the tornado reached a peak width of 100 yards, with an average width estimated at 50 yards.
April 2024Tornado (EF3)Shelby-This is a continuation of the Minden, Iowa EF-3 tornado. Prior to this segment, the tornado had tracked through Pottawattamie County and a small portion of extreme southeast Harrison County. After crossing into Shelby County between York Road and 335th Street, tree and powerline damage continued to the northeast, with a home having its roof blown off near County Road M16 and 450th Street. Trees in the area were uprooted or snapped at the base of the trunk. A home was badly damaged, and a barn was destroyed less than one mile southeast of Tennant. The tornado appears to have been widest near 750th Street and Hackberry Road, at approximately 1900 yards in width based on tree and powerline damage. At Highway 44, a home was destroyed along with substantial tree damage. Most walls of the home were standing, but a large automobile was thrown or rolled nearly a quarter mile. The tree and vehicle damage suggested that this location was a stronger section of the tornado, and was subsequently rated EF-3. The tornado tracked approximately 1.5 miles northwest of Harlan and began to turn more towards the north, significantly damaging at least 3 homes near Highway 59 as it crossed. It turned almost due north and traveled several miles along Linden Road, and missed the town of Defiance, Iowa by less than half a mile to the east. A second tornado developed just to the east of this one at this time, tracking along Oak Road and causing separate damage. Near Defiance the tornado also became rain-wrapped according to chaser video, and appears likely to have ended just south of the Crawford-Shelby county line. There is some potential based on radar data that this tornado tracked farther north into Crawford County, but damage surveys did not identify a track continuation. The peak estimated winds in this segment of the tornado track were 140 miles per hour. The maximum width of the tornado was measured at 1900 yards with an average width estimated at 1300 yards.
April 2024Tornado (EF1)Defiance-This tornado touched down less than a mile southeast of Defiance, Iowa just north of the Linden Road and Knotty Pine Road Intersection. Here, a roof was blown off a barn and several tree trunks in the area were snapped. The tornado moved to the northeast, skirting the town of Defiance by less than a mile to the east. A home at the intersection of Linden Road and 2300th Street received minor roof damage and had its car garage completely destroyed. This was the worst damage from this tornado in Shelby County, warranting an EF-1 rating with max wind speeds estimated at 105 miles per hour. Another large barn at the intersection of Street F16 and Mulberry Road had large sections of its roof damaged. At 1753 CST, the tornado crossed into Crawford County half a mile west of 300th Street. At this point in time, EF-1 damage was still being done with several tree trunks being snapped with the passage of the tornado. The peak width achieved by this tornado in Shelby County was 300 yards, with an average width of 200 yards. This tornado continued into Crawford County and produced additional EF-0 and EF-1 damage until it dissipated 6 miles north-northeast of Manilla, Iowa.
July 2024Funnel CloudShelby-Emergency management reported a funnel cloud.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-A 72 miles per hour wind gust was measured on a personal weather station 2 miles east of Harlan.
June 2024HailShelby-The office received a report of quarter sized hail from a CO-OP observer.
June 2024HailHarlan-The office received a report of quarter to golf ball sized hail from the public.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindHarlan-The office received a public report of a 62 miles per hour wind gust. This wind gust was accompanied by quarter to golf ball sized hail (this has been put as a separate event given the different event type).
July 2023Thunderstorm WindHarlan-Public reported a semi blown over and part of roof blown off a building.

Mines and quarries

2 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 2 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 1 is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction2

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Corley Pit and PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Harlan Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

19

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.