Nodaway County, Missouri Facts

The area which became Nodaway County was once a part of Indian lands covered with tall waving prairie grasses on the uplifts or “narrows”. Imagine the vast prairies heavy with game and uncluttered by trees, except along the three north-to-south rivers and the small creeks!
Missouri territory became a state in 1821, but the Indians still held the triangle to the northwest, which contained very fertile and desirable land.

Three obstacles were in the way of making this a part of the State of Missouri: 1. Missouri would be changing free soil to slave soil, the violating the Missouri Compromise: 2. The Indians had just been assigned the land by treaty and would have to be again relocated; 3. Missouri was already a very large state. By untiring efforts the plan of acquisition was accomplished by September 17, 1836, when the Sac, Fox, and Iowa Indians, by treaty, relinquished their rights to the huge area of land. This was known as the “Platte Purchase” and several counties, including Nodaway, would be organized from the former Indian lands.