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Osceola County, Iowa History
Osceola County, located in the northwest corner of
the state, is Iowa's youngest and smallest county, consisting of
only 397 square miles. Osceola was originally part of Woodbury
County, at that time, called Wahkaw County.
Besides being the smallest and
youngest county in Iowa, Osceola is also the highest. The highest
point in Iowa is just north of Sibley and is named Hawkeye
Point.
Osceola is named after a famous Seminole
Indian Chief who fought brilliantly against the United States to
preserve the land and the rights of his people. He was finally captured
and died a prisoner at Ft. Moultrie, South Carolina. in 1838. The settlers liked to
talk about his exploits and his romance with the Creek Indian Princess,
Ouscaloosa.
Osceola County was organized in 1871. The
first permanent settlement took place that same year by Captain Eldred
Huff when he took up residence on a claim he had filed the previous
November. Since the county was void of any timber (early settlers called
it the "American Desert"), Captain Huff hauled a load of lumber from
Sioux City for his house. This lack of timber also caused a fuel problem
in the winter. Settlers were urged to plant giant sunflowers, as an acre
of sunflowers would yield a good burning material equal to six cords of
good dry wood.
The first session of the Osceola County
Board of Supervisors was held on January 1, 1872. The following Thursday
they passed their first resolution. It read "Resolved - that Sibley,
Osceola County, Iowa, shall be the county seat of said Osceola County
and that the
County Auditor be authorized to petition the Legislature through our
representation to have the action of the Board of Supervisors
legalized." The fact that the railroad went through Sibley and that the
land for the courthouse was donated by the railroad promoters
probably did not hurt this decision by the board.
The first courthouse was built in
November of 1872 by Henry Pfingsten (or Phringston) at a cost of $4,500.
The wooden frame structure also served as a school and a church. It
contained a 6-foot x 10-foot privy, coal shed, front and rear steps,
vane and ball on the flagstaff, and a room under the stairway inside the
courthouse.
In 1901 it was decided that Osceola
needed a new courthouse. A special election was held in November, and a
$50,000 bond issue was passed. The contract was awarded to C.E.
Atkinson, and construction was completed by 1902. It was formally
dedicated in September of 1903. In October of 1915 the building was
wired for electricity.
The original courthouse contained a dome
which held a statue of Justice. In 1925 the dome was removed and
replaced by a square-shaped cupola and the statue of Justice was
replaced. This construction was done to modernize the building. On
August of 1961 the square cupola was removed, leaving the upper portion
of the courthouse as it is at the present time.
Constant upkeep and repairs have kept the
building's beauty there for all to enjoy and admire. A major entrance
change was made in 1974 to make the building more handicapped
accessible. Even with the addition of an elevator, the continuity of the
original design is still there.
Story derived from History of County
Governments in Iowa, published in 1992 by Iowa State Association of
Counties, Des Moines, Iowa
The Seminole chief Osceola's grave site
is located on the grounds of Ft. Moultrie, on Sullivans Island , South
Carolina, part of the Fort Sumter National Monument of the National Park
Service.
Archaeological Site Information
As of June 1996, there are 26
archaeological sites recorded in Osceola County.
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