Martin Skidmore founded the city of Skidmore in 1880. The fertile farmland and newly constructed railroad made Skidmore a major trading center for Nodaway County agricultural. The town grew quickly. By 1910 there had been 17 additions to the original 6 blocks expanding the town to 53 blocks. Skidmore housed three churches, a post office, two banks, a newspaper, a dentist, two doctors, a justice of the peace, an opera house and twenty-six other businesses. However, the main industry was agriculture.