Nodaway County, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Nodaway County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Missouri
. The county was organized in 1845 and named for the Nodaway River
.
As of 2010, the population was 23,370. Its county seat
is Maryville
.
It is the largest in area of the counties added to Missouri in the 1836 Platte Purchase
, and the fourth largest county in the state of Missouri.
It has a rich agricultural history, including the home of trainers Ben Jones and Jimmy Jones whose horses won six Kentucky Derby
races and two Triple Crowns.
The grounds of Northwest Missouri State University
make up the official Missouri State Arboretum and were a re-creation of the landscape of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. ESPN
has carried appearances of the university in five national championship football games, three of which they won.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
gave up his quest to become a priest while attending Conception Seminary College which also includes a minor basilica
. The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
convent in neighboring Clyde
has 550 relics of saints—the largest collection in the U.S.
Located in Tornado Alley
, there have been numerous tornadoes to hit the county, including an F4 tornado on April 10, 1979, that obliterated the town of Braddyville, Iowa
just across the county line. Tornadoes have struck two of the county's biggest buildings—the Administration Building on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University and Conception Abbey
. The 1881 Hopkins tornado is believed to have been one of the first recorded F5 tornados.
Some sensational murders have drawn attention to the county including a profile by CBS 60 Minutes
, as well as movies.
Life in the county was chronicled by native Homer Croy in a series of books, articles, films and Broadway shows in the 1920s and 1930s.
The first "legal" hanging in Nodaway County occurred in the county seat of Maryville on July 22, 1881. Two brothers, Albert P. and Charles E. Talbott, were hanged after being convicted of murdering their father, Dr. Perry H. Talbott, a noted local physician and author, on September 18, 1880 at his home a mile northwest of Arkoe, the town he co-founded. Dr. Talbott was shot at his home, and died of his injuries the same evening. Following their execution, the men were interred on their father's land. Their tombstone, a vertical column with two hands clasped in friendship, still stands, bearing the inscription, "We Died Innocent."
Omaha Charley, whose legal name was Charles F. Stevens, was the next to hang, though without trial, on December 9, 1884, at one o'clock in the morning. Omaha Charley had shot Hubert Kremey in Hilgert's saloon in Maryville on December 3. Feelings about the shooting ran high; locals considered the killing unjustified and decided to take matters into their own hands. News accounts of the time say that fifty masked men appeared before the jail and demanded Omaha Charley, with James Anderson, then county sheriff, complying, whereupon the vigilantes took Omaha Charley to the East Fourth Street Bridge and hanged him.
One of the most notorious murders in the annals of Nodaway County was Hezekiah "Hez" Rasco, a local farmer's son who was eventually hanged on March 26, 1912 for the murder of Oda Hubbell, his wife Clara, and their two small children, Welton and Jessie, sixteen months before.
Hez Rasco was born October 8, 1880 in Fremont County, Iowa
, to James Henry and Lucinda (Pierson) Rasco. He was the sixth son born of eight children during their eighteen years there, and one of three children who would live to adulthood. Hez was 31 years old when he died. Hez's troubles began in 1896 with the first killing for which he would be tried and convicted, that being the murder of thirty-five-year-old Kate (Kirch) Baumli, wife of John Baumli, and mother of three small children, Willie (age 11), Susie (age 7), and a baby, Mary Katherine, of 6 months. Hez Rasco was tried three times for the killing of Mrs. Baumli, despite his confession only five days following the crime. The first two trials resulted in a hung jury, both juries being averse to the hanging of a youthful defendant on the charge of first-degree murder. The third trial would result in a guilty conviction, with Rasco being sentenced to the state penitentiary at Jefferson City for ten years. The Sessions Act of 1895 provided that no minor, having been convicted of a crime, could be sentenced to jail or the penitentiary; however, they could be hanged or sent to reform school. The only way, it seemed, to get to the penitentiary was to be convicted, sentenced to death, with the governor granting a commutation. The Sessions Act of 1897 changed the law, allowing that a minor could be sentenced directly to the pentitentiary.
Hez served just under eight years in prison for Kate's death and was released early for time served and good behavior. Within seven months, Hez Rasco would be returned to the penitentiary, this time for stealing a horse in Buchanan County. He served his time and returned to his father's farm, to which the family had relocated just after the turn of the 20th century, living and working there for a short time.
Hez Rasco and Oda Hubbell became acquainted and following an all-night poker game in a boxcar parked at the Barnard Depot, Oda Hubbell returned to his wife and children in the morning of November 20, 1910. Two days later, Hez Rasco would be arrested and charged with the murder of Oda, age 29; his wife; and their two children Welton, a son aged four, and Jessie, a daughter age 6, at their home. It was Oda Hubbell's murder, however, for which Hez would be tried and subsequently convicted. He was never formally tried for the murders of Mrs. Hubbell or the Hubbell children. Oda Hubbell, it was shown, had been shot with a shotgun outside of the house and his body dragged into the home by his killer. Mrs. Hubbell was bludgeoned to death by the butt of a shotgun. The cause of death of the Hubbell children remains uncertain. After killing the family, the murderer set fire to the Hubbell home, a fire which almost completely incinerated the children's corpses and that of Mrs. Hubbell, and left little more than the torso of Mr. Hubbell before it was put out by a passing neighbor, who was returning from church services, and a family member of Oda's. Hez Rasco maintained his innocence and took any truth regarding his part in the crime, if any, to his grave.
By his death in 1912, Hez Rasco became the third man to be legally hanged in Nodaway County, but his crimes would not be the last for which death, legally mandated or by way of vigilante justice, would be the ultimate penalty.
Raymond Gunn
, a black man, was arrested and accused of the rape-murder of a young, white schoolteacher. On January 12, 1931, a mob in Maryville took him to the scene of the alleged crime, a school house on the outskirts of town. The mob proceeded to tie Mr. Gunn to the roof of the school house and set it on fire with him atop, burning him alive.
In 1981, the townsfolk of Skidmore rid themselves of a notorious criminal, Ken McElroy
, in what has become one of the best-kept secrets in the county. He was shot while sitting in is truck on the street in Skidmore
. There were multiple shooters, as was evident by the different caliber bullets found in the truck. When questioned by the sheriff, everyone claimed that they dove under the pool table at the town bar when the shooting started. Sheriff Estes was later quoted as saying "That must have been the biggest damn pool table in the world." The book and movie In Broad Daylight
is based on these events.
1992 saw the disappearance of an FBI drug informant, Christine Elkins. Elkins was beaten to death by cousins Tony Emery and Tug Emery. Elkins' body was thrown into the trunk of her car and driven to the Missouri River. The Emerys used wood to hold the steering column in place, another piece to hold down the gas, then sent the car into the river off a boat ramp. The car was found in 1999 with Elkins' body still in the trunk. Dental records identified the skeleton.
----
On April 11, 2001, Branson Kayne Perry, 20 years old at the time, mysteriously disappeared from near his home in Skidmore.
Details of Disappearance
Branson was last seen by a friend on April 11 at approximately 3:00 p.m., as they had been cleaning house for his father before he came home from the hospital. He told his friend he was putting jumper cables in the shed and would be back soon, and was not seen again. He left behind his van and personal belongings. The jumper cables weren't in the shed, but a few days later, they were placed there by an unknown person.
Branson Perry Family Website or Branson Perry's Family Website
Branson Perry's Exclusive Web Story on America's Most Wanted
The family reward is currently $20,000.00 for information leading
to the whereabouts of Branson Perry
and/or the arrest and conviction of the person and/or persons responsible for his disappearance and also the Castle Records Reward below.
CASTLE RECORDS MUSIC CITY USA is offering a $25,000.00 Recording contract for any info in regards to Branson Perry's disappearance.
St Joe News Channel Video
----
June 2002 saw a deranged man break into the county's monastery at Conception Abbey
and start shooting monks. The man then shot and killed himself in one of the pews before authorities could enter the church.
December 2004 saw a return of crime to Skidmore when Bobbie Jo Stinnett
was murdered in her home and had her unborn baby cut from her womb, launching one of the stranger Amber Alert
s in the program's history; authorities had no idea what the baby looked like, since the kidnapper was the first to see the child.
of 2000, there were 21,912 people, 8,138 households, and 4,817 families residing in the county. The population density
was 25 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,909 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.58% White
, 1.35% Black
or African American
, 0.23% Native American
, 0.87% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.21% from other races
, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.71% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 8,138 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples
living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.80% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.40% under the age of 18, 25.10% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 18.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,781, and the median income for a family was $42,203. Males had a median income of $28,388 versus $21,267 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $15,384. About 8.30% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.
in Maryville which is a general aviation airport with no commercial service.
Maryville also has one cab that can be located in the yellow pages,
as well as a nightly bus from Maryville to Kansas City
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The county was organized in 1845 and named for the Nodaway River
Nodaway River
The Nodaway River is a river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.-Etymology:The river's name first appears in the journal of Lewis and Clark, who camped at the mouth of the river on July 8, 1804, but who provide no derivation of the name. There exist several proposed etymologies...
.
As of 2010, the population was 23,370. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Maryville
Maryville, Missouri
Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
.
Platte Purchase
The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from Native American tribes all of which was east bank lands along the Missouri River that added to the northwest corner of the state of Missouri. The area acquired is almost as large as the states of Delaware and...
, and the fourth largest county in the state of Missouri.
It has a rich agricultural history, including the home of trainers Ben Jones and Jimmy Jones whose horses won six Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
races and two Triple Crowns.
The grounds of Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
make up the official Missouri State Arboretum and were a re-creation of the landscape of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
has carried appearances of the university in five national championship football games, three of which they won.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
gave up his quest to become a priest while attending Conception Seminary College which also includes a minor basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
. The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are a congregation of nuns within the Benedictine Confederation. The original monastery was founded in 1874 by a group of five nuns, led by Sister Mary Anselma Felber, O.S.B., who came from the young monastery of Maria-Rickenbach in Switzerland...
convent in neighboring Clyde
Clyde, Missouri
Clyde is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 74 at the 2000 census.It is home to the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration which houses 550 documented saint relics—said to be the largest collection in the United States.-Geography:Clyde is located at ...
has 550 relics of saints—the largest collection in the U.S.
Located in Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is a colloquial and popular media term that most often refers to the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Although an official location is not defined, the area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains is usually associated with it.The areas...
, there have been numerous tornadoes to hit the county, including an F4 tornado on April 10, 1979, that obliterated the town of Braddyville, Iowa
Braddyville, Iowa
Braddyville is a city in Page County, Iowa, United States. The population was 176 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Braddyville's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 40.578722, -95.029816...
just across the county line. Tornadoes have struck two of the county's biggest buildings—the Administration Building on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University and Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
. The 1881 Hopkins tornado is believed to have been one of the first recorded F5 tornados.
Some sensational murders have drawn attention to the county including a profile by CBS 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, as well as movies.
Life in the county was chronicled by native Homer Croy in a series of books, articles, films and Broadway shows in the 1920s and 1930s.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Nodaway" has been attributed to a Pottawatomie name for "placid", a Dakota Sioux name for "crossed without canoe" and various tribes names for "snake."Famous politicians
- Herbert HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
(1874–1964) - The President was never a true county resident but he owned a farm south of Graham. - Henry L. JostHenry L. JostHenry Lee Jost was a Democratic Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 1912-1916 and a U.S. Congressman from March 4, 1923-March 3, 1925....
(1873–1950) - Mayor of Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, who arrived in Hopkins aboard an orphan trainOrphan TrainThe Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children... - Albert P. MorehouseAlbert P. MorehouseAlbert Pickett Morehouse was the 26th Governor of Missouri from 1887 to 1889.Morehouse was born in Delaware County, Ohio and moved to Maryville, Missouri in 1856. He was admitted to the bar and began practice in Montgomery County, Iowa.At the beginning of the American Civil War, he moved back to...
(1835–1891) - Maryville, MissouriMaryville, MissouriMaryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
resident who succeeded to governor from 1887 to 1889. - Forrest C. DonnellForrest C. DonnellForrest C. Donnell was a United States Senator and the 40th Governor of Missouri. He was a Republican.-Early life:Donnell was born in Quitman, Missouri....
(1884–1980) - Native of Quitman, MissouriQuitman, MissouriQuitman is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 46 at the 2000 census.-History:Quitman was first platted in 1856 by R. R. Russell and was initially called Russellville. It was later changed Quitman in honor of John A. Quitman, a former governor of Mississippi and...
who was a Republican governor from 1941–1945 and U.S. Senator from 1945-1951.
Famous farms and farmers
Among the famous farms of Nodaway County:- Herbert Hoover Farm - Herbert HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
had a farm south of Graham, MissouriGraham, MissouriGraham is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Graham is located at ....
. Hoover never actively farmed the land he owned, though he visited in the 1930s after leaving office. - Jones Horse Racing Dynasty - Horse racing trainers Ben A. JonesBen A. JonesBenjamin Allyn Jones was a thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Parnell, Missouri, Ben Jones went into the business of breeding and training of thoroughbreds during the first decade of the 20th century, racing his horses on small circuits in the American West and in Mexico...
and his son Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones had a farm near Parnell, MissouriParnell, MissouriParnell is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 197 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parnell is located at ....
and retired there. During their tenure at Calumet FarmCalumet FarmCalumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
they trained six Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and two Triple CrownTriple Crown of Thoroughbred RacingThe Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
winners. Extensive memorabilia from the racing days are in the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum. - Bilby Ranch - The Bilby Ranch founded near Quitman, MissouriQuitman, MissouriQuitman is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 46 at the 2000 census.-History:Quitman was first platted in 1856 by R. R. Russell and was initially called Russellville. It was later changed Quitman in honor of John A. Quitman, a former governor of Mississippi and...
had holdings throughout the West in the late 19th century and early 20th century and claimed to be second only to the King RanchKing RanchKing Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world's largest ranches. The ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with...
in size and a dispute over its cattle reached the United States Supreme Court. - Faustiana Farm - Isaac N. Prather was one of the first settlers in Nodaway County settling there from Kentucky in 1839 shortly after the Platte PurchasePlatte PurchaseThe Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from Native American tribes all of which was east bank lands along the Missouri River that added to the northwest corner of the state of Missouri. The area acquired is almost as large as the states of Delaware and...
established a farm just west of Maryville, MissouriMaryville, MissouriMaryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
. Prather imported the famous English thoroughbred Faustus and named his farm Faustiana after this horse. The Townsend family, who had made their fortune from the St. Joseph, Missouri department store Townsend & WallTownsend & WallTownsend & Wall at 602 Francis Street was the principal department store in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri from 1866 to 1983....
, used the name for their PercheronPercheronThe Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were...
, StandardbredStandardbred horseStandardbreds are a breed of horse best known for their ability to race in harness at a trot or pace instead of under saddle at a gallop. Developed in North America, the breed is now recognized worldwide for its harness racing ability...
and American SaddlebredAmerican SaddlebredThe American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
horses when they owned. Many national champion horses come from the line. The farm is a now Maryville housing subdivision. - Rancho del Rayo - William Robbins, who made his fortune with the Robbins Lighting Rod company in Maryville, established a ranch near Hopkins, MissouriHopkins, MissouriHopkins is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 579 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hopkins is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
that claimed to be the biggest ranch in Missouri after the Bilby Ranch dissolution in 1919. Robbins, who was active in Republican politics, hosted numerous political picnics attended by all levels of U.S. senators and Missouri governors. - R.T. Wright University Farm - Northwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
owns a 750 acres (3 km²) farm north of the campus (called locally the "North Farm"). Among the research evolving from the farm is the use of global positioning satellites for farming and a biofuelBiofuelBiofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
project which garnered for transforming manure into fuel pellets that burn with no odor and does not release dangerous gases. The farm is conducting experiments in genetic combinations for plants. In 2006, Northwest drew the ire of Anheuser-BuschAnheuser-BuschAnheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
when it proposed a partnership with Ventria to develop genetically altered rice.
Other famous natives
For famous students and teachers at the Maryville college see: Northwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
- Sarah CaldwellSarah CaldwellSarah Caldwell was a notable American opera conductor, impresario, and stage director of opera.- Life :Caldwell was born in Maryville, Missouri, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She was a child prodigy and gave public performances on the violin by the time she was ten years old...
- Boston opera diva - Dale CarnegieDale CarnegieDale Breckenridge Carnegie was an American writer, lecturer, and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills...
- Author of How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleHow to Win Friends and Influence PeopleHow to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide.... - Homer Croy - Author and screenwriter who wrote about life in Maryville
- Albert DavidAlbert DavidAlbert Leroy David was an officer in the United States Navy during World War II and a recipient of the Medal of Honor...
- Medal of Honor winner for capture of U-505 during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - Edward H. MooreEdward H. MooreEdward Hall Moore was a United States Senator from Oklahoma. Born on a farm near Maryville, Missouri, he attended the public schools and Chillicothe Normal School. He taught school in Nodaway, Atchinson, and Jackson Counties, and graduated from the Kansas City School of Law in 1900...
- U.S. Senator in Oklahoma - Harley RaceHarley RaceHarley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
- professional wrestler - Marcus Morton RhoadesMarcus Morton RhoadesMarcus Morton Rhoades was an American cytogeneticist. His research on maize led to important discoveries for basic genetics and the applied science of plant breeding.He was one of the first cytogenecists to document the pre-meiotic pairing of homologous chromosomes in maize, otherwise referred as...
- cytogeneticist - Grant WallaceGrant WallaceGrant Wallace was an American journalist, artist, screenwriter, and occultist.- Early life :Grant Wallace was born on February 10, 1867, in Hopkins, Missouri, the son of a judge. His education included a B.S...
- Writer of the occult - Jerry WallaceJerry WallaceJerry Wallace was an American country and pop singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the #8 "Primrose Lane." He made his debut on the country music charts in 1965, entering it thirty-five times between then and 1980. In that timespan, Wallace...
- pop-country singer and actor
Crime in the County
Though one of the attributions for the name is "placid," Nodaway County has a long history of violence.The first "legal" hanging in Nodaway County occurred in the county seat of Maryville on July 22, 1881. Two brothers, Albert P. and Charles E. Talbott, were hanged after being convicted of murdering their father, Dr. Perry H. Talbott, a noted local physician and author, on September 18, 1880 at his home a mile northwest of Arkoe, the town he co-founded. Dr. Talbott was shot at his home, and died of his injuries the same evening. Following their execution, the men were interred on their father's land. Their tombstone, a vertical column with two hands clasped in friendship, still stands, bearing the inscription, "We Died Innocent."
Omaha Charley, whose legal name was Charles F. Stevens, was the next to hang, though without trial, on December 9, 1884, at one o'clock in the morning. Omaha Charley had shot Hubert Kremey in Hilgert's saloon in Maryville on December 3. Feelings about the shooting ran high; locals considered the killing unjustified and decided to take matters into their own hands. News accounts of the time say that fifty masked men appeared before the jail and demanded Omaha Charley, with James Anderson, then county sheriff, complying, whereupon the vigilantes took Omaha Charley to the East Fourth Street Bridge and hanged him.
One of the most notorious murders in the annals of Nodaway County was Hezekiah "Hez" Rasco, a local farmer's son who was eventually hanged on March 26, 1912 for the murder of Oda Hubbell, his wife Clara, and their two small children, Welton and Jessie, sixteen months before.
Hez Rasco was born October 8, 1880 in Fremont County, Iowa
Fremont County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,441 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,431 housing units, of which 3,064 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, to James Henry and Lucinda (Pierson) Rasco. He was the sixth son born of eight children during their eighteen years there, and one of three children who would live to adulthood. Hez was 31 years old when he died. Hez's troubles began in 1896 with the first killing for which he would be tried and convicted, that being the murder of thirty-five-year-old Kate (Kirch) Baumli, wife of John Baumli, and mother of three small children, Willie (age 11), Susie (age 7), and a baby, Mary Katherine, of 6 months. Hez Rasco was tried three times for the killing of Mrs. Baumli, despite his confession only five days following the crime. The first two trials resulted in a hung jury, both juries being averse to the hanging of a youthful defendant on the charge of first-degree murder. The third trial would result in a guilty conviction, with Rasco being sentenced to the state penitentiary at Jefferson City for ten years. The Sessions Act of 1895 provided that no minor, having been convicted of a crime, could be sentenced to jail or the penitentiary; however, they could be hanged or sent to reform school. The only way, it seemed, to get to the penitentiary was to be convicted, sentenced to death, with the governor granting a commutation. The Sessions Act of 1897 changed the law, allowing that a minor could be sentenced directly to the pentitentiary.
Hez served just under eight years in prison for Kate's death and was released early for time served and good behavior. Within seven months, Hez Rasco would be returned to the penitentiary, this time for stealing a horse in Buchanan County. He served his time and returned to his father's farm, to which the family had relocated just after the turn of the 20th century, living and working there for a short time.
Hez Rasco and Oda Hubbell became acquainted and following an all-night poker game in a boxcar parked at the Barnard Depot, Oda Hubbell returned to his wife and children in the morning of November 20, 1910. Two days later, Hez Rasco would be arrested and charged with the murder of Oda, age 29; his wife; and their two children Welton, a son aged four, and Jessie, a daughter age 6, at their home. It was Oda Hubbell's murder, however, for which Hez would be tried and subsequently convicted. He was never formally tried for the murders of Mrs. Hubbell or the Hubbell children. Oda Hubbell, it was shown, had been shot with a shotgun outside of the house and his body dragged into the home by his killer. Mrs. Hubbell was bludgeoned to death by the butt of a shotgun. The cause of death of the Hubbell children remains uncertain. After killing the family, the murderer set fire to the Hubbell home, a fire which almost completely incinerated the children's corpses and that of Mrs. Hubbell, and left little more than the torso of Mr. Hubbell before it was put out by a passing neighbor, who was returning from church services, and a family member of Oda's. Hez Rasco maintained his innocence and took any truth regarding his part in the crime, if any, to his grave.
By his death in 1912, Hez Rasco became the third man to be legally hanged in Nodaway County, but his crimes would not be the last for which death, legally mandated or by way of vigilante justice, would be the ultimate penalty.
Raymond Gunn
Raymond Gunn
Raymond Gunn was a black man killed by a mob in Maryville, Missouri, United States, after he confessed to killing and attempting to rape a white school teacher there....
, a black man, was arrested and accused of the rape-murder of a young, white schoolteacher. On January 12, 1931, a mob in Maryville took him to the scene of the alleged crime, a school house on the outskirts of town. The mob proceeded to tie Mr. Gunn to the roof of the school house and set it on fire with him atop, burning him alive.
In 1981, the townsfolk of Skidmore rid themselves of a notorious criminal, Ken McElroy
Ken McElroy
Ken Rex McElroy was a resident of Nodaway County, Missouri, near the town of Skidmore. Known as "the town bully", his unsolved murder became the focus of international attention...
, in what has become one of the best-kept secrets in the county. He was shot while sitting in is truck on the street in Skidmore
Skidmore, Missouri
Skidmore is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census. The small farming community which has a yearly "Punkin' Show", has made international headlines with high profile murders....
. There were multiple shooters, as was evident by the different caliber bullets found in the truck. When questioned by the sheriff, everyone claimed that they dove under the pool table at the town bar when the shooting started. Sheriff Estes was later quoted as saying "That must have been the biggest damn pool table in the world." The book and movie In Broad Daylight
In Broad Daylight
In Broad Daylight is a true crime book detailing the killing of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in 1981 in Skidmore, Missouri. The book won an Edgar Award for best true crime in 1989, was a New York Times bestseller for 12 weeks and was adapted into a television movie...
is based on these events.
1992 saw the disappearance of an FBI drug informant, Christine Elkins. Elkins was beaten to death by cousins Tony Emery and Tug Emery. Elkins' body was thrown into the trunk of her car and driven to the Missouri River. The Emerys used wood to hold the steering column in place, another piece to hold down the gas, then sent the car into the river off a boat ramp. The car was found in 1999 with Elkins' body still in the trunk. Dental records identified the skeleton.
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On April 11, 2001, Branson Kayne Perry, 20 years old at the time, mysteriously disappeared from near his home in Skidmore.
Details of Disappearance
Branson was last seen by a friend on April 11 at approximately 3:00 p.m., as they had been cleaning house for his father before he came home from the hospital. He told his friend he was putting jumper cables in the shed and would be back soon, and was not seen again. He left behind his van and personal belongings. The jumper cables weren't in the shed, but a few days later, they were placed there by an unknown person.
Branson Perry Family Website or Branson Perry's Family Website
Branson Perry's Exclusive Web Story on America's Most Wanted
The family reward is currently $20,000.00 for information leading
to the whereabouts of Branson Perry
and/or the arrest and conviction of the person and/or persons responsible for his disappearance and also the Castle Records Reward below.
CASTLE RECORDS MUSIC CITY USA is offering a $25,000.00 Recording contract for any info in regards to Branson Perry's disappearance.
St Joe News Channel Video
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June 2002 saw a deranged man break into the county's monastery at Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
and start shooting monks. The man then shot and killed himself in one of the pews before authorities could enter the church.
December 2004 saw a return of crime to Skidmore when Bobbie Jo Stinnett
Bobbie Jo Stinnett
Bobbie Jo Stinnett was a 23-year-old pregnant woman found brutally slain in her home in Skidmore, Missouri. The accused, Lisa M. Montgomery, then 36, was convicted of strangling Stinnett from behind and then cutting the woman's unborn child, eight months into gestation, from her womb...
was murdered in her home and had her unborn baby cut from her womb, launching one of the stranger Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
s in the program's history; authorities had no idea what the baby looked like, since the kidnapper was the first to see the child.
Points of interest
- Northwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
- Missouri State ArboretumMissouri State ArboretumThe Missouri State Arboretum is on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri and contains more than 111 species of trees....
- Mozingo LakeMozingo LakeMozingo Lake is a reservoir in Nodaway County, Missouri on the Mozingo Creek branch of the One Hundred and Two River.The reservoir is owned by the city of Maryville, Missouri and is the city's water source and operates as a 3,000 acre park with of shoreline.The reservoir was completed in 1994...
- Conception AbbeyConception AbbeyConception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
- Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual AdorationBenedictine Sisters of Perpetual AdorationThe Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are a congregation of nuns within the Benedictine Confederation. The original monastery was founded in 1874 by a group of five nuns, led by Sister Mary Anselma Felber, O.S.B., who came from the young monastery of Maria-Rickenbach in Switzerland...
- Maryville Treatment CenterMaryville Treatment CenterMaryville Treatment Center is a Missouri Department of Corrections minimum security prison for male inmates on the grounds of the former Mount Alverno motherhouse of the Sisters of St...
- Nodaway County Historical Society MuseumNodaway County Historical Society MuseumThe Nodaway County Historical Society Museum is a museum in Maryville, Missouri telling the history of Nodaway County, Missouri, USA.The museum contains memorabilia from county residents Dale Carnegie, Homer Croy, Smiley Burnette, Lynne Overman, Sarah Caldwell, Alma Nash, Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones...
- Nodaway County buildings on National Register of Historic Places
Radio stations
The four licensed broadcast stations originating in the county are Maryville:- KNIM - 1580 - AM
- KVVL - 97.1 - FM
- KXCVKXCVKXCV is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Maryville, Missouri, USA. The station is currently owned by Northwest Missouri State Univ. and features programing from American Public Media and National Public Radio...
- 90.5 - FM - KZLX-FM - 106.7 - FM
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 21,912 people, 8,138 households, and 4,817 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 25 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,909 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.58% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.35% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.23% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.87% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.21% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.71% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 8,138 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.80% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.40% under the age of 18, 25.10% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 18.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,781, and the median income for a family was $42,203. Males had a median income of $28,388 versus $21,267 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $15,384. About 8.30% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Nodaway County is served by Northwest Missouri Regional AirportNorthwest Missouri Regional Airport
Northwest Missouri Regional Airport is a city-owned public use airport located two nautical miles west of the central business district of Maryville, a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The airport is used for general aviation with no commercial airlines.Although most U.S...
in Maryville which is a general aviation airport with no commercial service.
Maryville also has one cab that can be located in the yellow pages,
as well as a nightly bus from Maryville to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 877.75 square miles (2,273.4 km²), of which 876.62 square miles (2,270.4 km²) (or 99.87%) is land and 1.13 square miles (2.9 km²) (or 0.13%) is water.Adjacent counties
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Major highways
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U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 136
Route 46
Route 113Cities and towns
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Clyde, Missouri Clyde is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 74 at the 2000 census.It is home to the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration which houses 550 documented saint relics—said to be the largest collection in the United States.-Geography:Clyde is located at ... Conception, Missouri Conception is an unincorporated community in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about eleven miles southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction, Missouri . Conception is home to Conception Abbey.... Conception Junction, Missouri Conception Junction is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 202 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:... Elmo, Missouri Elmo is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 166 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elmo is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... |
Graham, Missouri Graham is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Graham is located at .... Guilford, Missouri Guilford is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 87 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town. It is served by the South Nodaway R-IV School District, and is home of the elementary school... Hopkins, Missouri Hopkins is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 579 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hopkins is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... Maryville, Missouri Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries... |
Parnell, Missouri Parnell is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 197 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parnell is located at .... Pickering, Missouri Pickering is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 154 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Pickering is located at .... Quitman, Missouri Quitman is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 46 at the 2000 census.-History:Quitman was first platted in 1856 by R. R. Russell and was initially called Russellville. It was later changed Quitman in honor of John A. Quitman, a former governor of Mississippi and... Ravenwood, Missouri Ravenwood is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 448 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Ravenwood is located at .... |
Skidmore, Missouri Skidmore is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census. The small farming community which has a yearly "Punkin' Show", has made international headlines with high profile murders.... |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Nodaway County, Missouri
External links
- Nodaway County Historical Society
- Rootsweb, Nodaway County, Missouri
- Nodaway County Missouri Genealogy
- Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Nodaway County from University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books