Shelley, Kate

Kate Shelley (also spelled Shelly) was born in Ireland about 1864 to Michael and Margaret (Dawn) Shelley. The family immigrated to the United States in 1865 and settled on a homestead on Honey Creek near Moingona, Boone County, Iowa. Michael Shelley found work on the Chicago and North-Western Railway, and was eventually made a foreman of a section crew. He died in 1878, leaving his wife Margaret to care for the family. Kate helped her mother maintain the farm and look after her younger siblings.

On the night of July 6, 1881, a strong storm brought extensive flooding and weakened the railroad bridge over Honey Creek. A pusher engine had been sent out to check the tracks for damage, and the bridge collapsed when the engine was crossing it, killing two of the crew and leaving two men stranded in the water. Kate Shelley and her mother heard the bridge go out, and knowing that an express train was scheduled to cross the bridge, Kate decided to warn the station at Moingona to stop the express train. She went on foot and had to crawl across a railroad bridge over the Des Moines River to reach the Moingona station. In addition to bringing the warning that the Honey Creek bridge was out, Kate assisted a rescue party who went after the crew of the pusher engine.

Newspaper accounts of Kate Shelley's heroism brought national attention. She received numerous recognitions including a gold medal from the Iowa State Legislature and a watch and chain from the Valley City Division, no. 58, of the Order of Railway Conductors. In 1901, a new bridge over the Des Moines River was named the "Kate Shelley Bridge." This bridge is the highest and longest double track bridge in the United States and is still in use today.

In the years following her heroic act, Kate continued to assist her mother with the family farm. She attended Simpson College for one year, and taught in various schools in Boone County. She held the position of Bill Clerk for the Iowa State Senate from 1902 to 1903, prior to taking the job of station agent for the Moingona train station in 1903. She continued in that position until ill health forced her resignation in 1910. Kate Shelley died on January 21, 1912.

From the description of Papers, 1865-2006 (Iowa State University). WorldCat record id: 83802126