Osceola County is in the northern tier, and second from the western boundary of the state, and contains a superficial area of 392 square miles, or 250,880 acres. It is watered and drained by the east fork of Rock River, Ocheydan, Otter, and several smaller creeks. These streams meander through valleys of great fertility, producing luxuriant crops of excellent grass. Good well water is obtained at all points by digging from ten to twenty feet. The county is entirely destitute of native timber, being a broad expanse of gently rolling prairie, all of which is susceptible of cultivation. The soil is generally a dark loam, with a slight mixture of clay on the table lands, and a small quantity of sand and vegetable mold in the valleys. The Ocheydan Valley, which passes through the central and southeastern part of the county, is a broad belt of great fertility, bordered by high rolling prairie. There are no exposures of rocks in place in the county, but boulders are occasionally found scattered over the surface. The St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad crosses the county from northeast to southwest, and was completed in the summer of 1872.
Capt. E. Huff was the first white man who settled in the county, coming in the Fall of 1870, and locating in the township 98, range 42, in the valley of Otter Creek, in the southwestern part of the county. He did not remain over winter, but returned to is claim in the Spring of 1871. Among others who settled in the Spring of this year, were D. L. McCausland, C. M. Brooks, W. W. Webb, F. M. Robinson, E. Morrison, M.A. Churchill, R. O. Manson, A. M. Culver, and Frank Stiles, mostly from the eastern part of the state. The county was organized January 1, 1872, having previously been attached to Woodbury County for revenue and judicial purposes. The county seat was located at Sibley, to wit: Orson Rice, of Dickinson: C. W. Inman, of O'Brien: and J.S. Howell, of Lyon. The town of Sibley was laid out in the Fall of 1871, and was named in honor of Gen. H. H. Sibley, of St. Paul. The first election for county officers was held October 10, 1871, at the house of A. M. Culver, when the following were elected: F. M. Robinson, Auditor; A. M. Culver, Treasurer; C. M. Brooks, Clerk of Courts; D. L. McCausland, Recorder; Frank Stiles, Sheriff; Delila Stiles, Superintendent of Schools; John Beaumont, Drainage Commissioner, and J. H. Winspear, George Spaulding and H. R. Fenton, Board of Supervisors. The first court was held at Sibley, July 14 and 15, 1872, by Hon. Henry Ford, District Judge. The first religious meeting held in the county was in June, 1871 by Rev. S. Alrich, a Methodist minister. The first school was taught by Mrs. Diliha (typo? above has Delila) Stiles, in the Fall of 1871, on section 12, township 99, range 42.
Wallace M. Mork, Audtor
S. A. Wright,
Treasurer
John H. Douglass, Sheriff
John F. Glover, Clerk.
D. L.
McCausland, Recorder
J. M. Jenkins, Supt. Public Schools
D. L. Riley,
Chairman Board of Supervisors
This is the county seat, and was the first town laid out in the county. It is located on the northeast quarter of section 13, township 99, range 42, and was laid out by the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad Company in October, 1872. The first building on the town site was erected and occupied by F. M. Robinson, in 1871. The Sibley GAZETTE was started in July, 1872, by L. A. Barker, being the first newspaper published in the county. The first business house was erected by H. K. Rodgers, soon after the town was laid out. A good court house was erected in 1872, at a cost of about $5,000, and is located on a block of ground donated for the purpose by the railroad company. The company also donated another block for a public school house, which was built in 1872 at a cost of $3,500. and also set apart a block, centrally located for a public park. From Sibley to Sioux City the distance is seventy-four miles, and from St. Paul, one hundred and ninty-five miles. The place is situated to command the trade of an extensive region of country.
This is a railroad station seven miles southwest of Sibley, and when the rich farming region which surrounds it is developed, will doubtless become an important shipping point.
H.K. Rogers General Merchandise
Frank Stiles General Merchandise
D.L. Riley Grain, Coal, Wood, Lumber, and Building Paper
C.N. Sawyer Grain and Agricultural Impts.
H. G. Doolittle -- Civil Engineer (Sec. 24)
Source: A. T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa
1875, Osceola County
History transcribed by Diane Johnson
Directories
transcribed by Roseanna Zehner