Charles Henry Shaller, Businessman

Charles Henry Shaller was born in Illinois in 1854. By 1884, he married Ida Hutchinson in Kansas. They moved to El Dorado, Kansas where Mr. Shaller had a general store. Mr. Shaller learned of the Texas Panhandle Canadian River area from railroad workers who frequented his store. Before the railroad had crossed the Canadian River, Mr. Shaller visited the area and in 1887, he loaded up his merchandise and came to Canadian with his wife.

Mr. Shaller not only set up a store but he purchased a ranch one mile east of Canadian where he raised cattle. He also planted the first orchard in the Canadian area. His family lived on the ranch until 1911 he built the house shown here on the left.

Mrs. Shaller helped in raising funds for the first church in Canadian and her family was a charter member of the First Presbyterian Church. The Shaller family had eleven children in all of which two girls died early in the marriage.