Osceola

Formed January 15, 1853 (83^rd county)

Osceola County (6,196), Sibley (2,859)

The light brown brick and stone Neo-Classical building was constructed in 1902.  It was remodeled in 1925.  It is sited at 7^th Street, 4^th Avenue, 6^th Street, and 3^rd Avenue.  Iowa State Highway 60 Business is one block to the west.  F. W. Kinney and Detweiler provided the designs for the courthouse.  The facility features columns and the grounds have veteran memorials.  Osceola County was formed on January 15, 1853 and named for the Native American chief.  The county was taken from Woodbury County as the 83^rd county.  He is also the source for the county seat of Clarke County.  The county seat is named for Minnesota Governor Henry H. Sibley.  Sibley has always been the county seat.  Osceola County was the birthplace of 1 Iowa Governor, William L. Harding. 

Osceola County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Twenty District Court Judges and Fourteen Magistrates serve Osceola, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Lyon, Kossuth, Monona, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties (judicial.) The county is on the Minnesota border in the northwest part of Iowa.  Sioux City, Iowa is southwest of the county.  The county center is 7.9 miles East of Sibley nearer Allendorf.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Minnesota and Dickinson, Clay, O’Brien, Sioux, and Lyon counties. 

The county has an area of 399 square miles.  It is 97 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 95 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 15.5 persons per square mile making it 86 out of 99 in the state.  Osceola County has 66.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 59 goes north to south through the county from Minnesota to O’Brien County.  The highest point in Iowa, Hawkeye Point, is in the county.  The county is a rectangle.  Sibley is in the western quarter of the county.  Sibley is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 46.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced OE-SEE-OE-LA.