BlockFrom the record
1 National Register listing published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Osceola County, Iowa
14 topographic sheets cover 8 settlements here, and 1 property is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 56 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 1 property here is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a building.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 8 populated places in this county; 8 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
1Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Osceola County Courthouse | building | 1981 | 81000261 |
Wildfire, 2007 to 2020
40 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 40 of them, burning about 186 acres. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14 |
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Smoking | 6 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 28 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 2694 POLK AVE, IA |
| 8 April 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 15 May 2020 | Smoking | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | VINE AND 180TH ST., IOWA |
| 17 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 April 2015 | Smoking | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1958 to 2026
60 of 262 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 262 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 14 injuries and about $19,889,250 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 120 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 100 |
| Tornado | 27 |
| Flood | 6 |
| Flash Flood | 4 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF4) | Sibley | 13 hurt, $3,000,000 | A tornado, moving into Osceola County from Lyon County, destroyed at least two houses, injuring two people in one of them. the tornado also destroyed several garages and severely damaged several other homes, destroyed at least 4 hog confinement buildings, several barns and silos, and numerous outbuildings. The tornado destroyed three vehicles that had been parked under an Iowa Highway 60 overpass, injuring 11 people in the vehicles, and removing the engine from one of the vehicles. The tornado damaged power lines, causing power outages, and caused damage to trees and crops. The tornado also destroyed a shelter belt and severely damaged heavy farm equipment, removing the wheels from some of the vehicles. Much of the damage occurred a short distance west to south of the town of Sibley. |
| August 1994 | Tornado (F3) | Sibley | 1 hurt, $500,000 | no account filed |
| March 2019 | Flood | Ashton | $2,560,000 | Flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges. |
| June 1982 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1981 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1981 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Flood | Ashton | $2,150,000 | Rainfall amounts across Osceola County from June 20-22 ranged from 7 to 9 inches. This rain resulted in widespread overland flooding across the county. ||A shelter in Sibley was opened after approximately 25 homes were evacuated due to flood waters. There was at least one swift water rescue. No homes or businesses were destroyed, but there were many reports of water up to the first level with significant water damage in basements. ||Numerous roads were damaged across the county. Two pump motors were destroyed at the Sibley Wastewater Treatment Plant. The May City water wells were contaminated. The Ashton water main from rural water was destroyed and a rural bridge near Ashton was also destroyed. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be 2.15 million dollars. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | May City | $500,000 | Numerous thunderstorms developed in the strong, moist southerly flow ahead of an approaching cold front. Many of them produced pea to marble-size hail and gusty winds of 40 to 50 MPH. One of the cells became severe and produced winds strong enough to take down power lines and one utility pole east of Akron. During the late evening hours, the thunderstorms weakened and collapsed. As the tops collapsed, high winds affected Osceola County. Trees were toppled and power lines downed. Several out buildings were toppled as well. A machine shed, on a farmstead west of May City, was picked up and hurled 100 feet from its foundation. The building was destroyed. Some minor damage was also done to the farmhouse as well. Trees and power lines were also downed on a farmstead east of Ocheyedan. A machine shed was also destroyed by high winds there. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Sibley | $500,000 | no account filed |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $500,000 | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Tornado (EF2) | Cloverdale | $300,000 | EF-2 tornado damaged three farm places. No one was home at any of the places impacted by the tornado. 20 to 30 head of cattle were missing after the storm. |
| May 1971 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1968 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $200,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, blew down power lines, and destroyed or damaged several large sheds and a silo on a farm. The severe winds also resulted in four calves being killed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $200,000 | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley Muni Arpt | $100,000 | Severe damage done to several grain bins. The bolts holding the empty bins in place were broken off and the bins were lifted or shifted from their original position. The top collapsed on the northwest side of the empty bins. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ocheyedan | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed an airplane hangar, a small airplane in the hangar, and a machine shed. |
| June 2001 | Hail | May City | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Ocheyedan | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Ocheyedan | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Harris | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Ashton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $75,000 | A grain silo was toppled, a portion of a barn roof removed and several large tree limbs were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $75,000 | Several grain bins were damaged, and large road signs were bent over on the south exit to Sibley from Iowa Highway 60. |
| March 2018 | Lightning | Ashton | $75,000 | A lightning strike early in the morning of March 5 started a fire which burned down a corn crib. The resulting fire damaged an auger and two farm trailers. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $50,000 | A metal shed was damaged, along with numerous trees down. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Sibley | $50,000 | Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including several roads, homes, and businesses. This flooding lasted for almost two days, and was aggravated locally by additional storms during that time. Some roads were damaged or washed out. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Melvin | $50,000 | Numerous thunderstorms developed in the strong, moist southerly flow ahead of an approaching cold front. Many of them produced pea to marble-size hail and gusty winds of 40 to 50 MPH. One of the cells became severe and produced winds strong enough to take down power lines and one utility pole east of Akron. During the late evening hours, the thunderstorms weakened and collapsed. As the tops collapsed, high winds affected Osceola County. Trees were toppled and power lines downed. Several out buildings were toppled as well. A machine shed, on a farmstead west of May City, was picked up and hurled 100 feet from its foundation. The building was destroyed. Some minor damage was also done to the farmhouse as well. Trees and power lines were also downed on a farmstead east of Ocheyedan. A machine shed was also destroyed by high winds there. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ocheyedan | $50,000 | Numerous thunderstorms developed in the strong, moist southerly flow ahead of an approaching cold front. Many of them produced pea to marble-size hail and gusty winds of 40 to 50 MPH. One of the cells became severe and produced winds strong enough to take down power lines and one utility pole east of Akron. During the late evening hours, the thunderstorms weakened and collapsed. As the tops collapsed, high winds affected Osceola County. Trees were toppled and power lines downed. Several out buildings were toppled as well. A machine shed, on a farmstead west of May City, was picked up and hurled 100 feet from its foundation. The building was destroyed. Some minor damage was also done to the farmhouse as well. Trees and power lines were also downed on a farmstead east of Ocheyedan. A machine shed was also destroyed by high winds there. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $50,000 | Numerous thunderstorms developed in the strong, moist southerly flow ahead of an approaching cold front. Many of them produced pea to marble-size hail and gusty winds of 40 to 50 MPH. One of the cells became severe and produced winds strong enough to take down power lines and one utility pole east of Akron. During the late evening hours, the thunderstorms weakened and collapsed. As the tops collapsed, high winds affected Osceola County. Trees were toppled and power lines downed. Several out buildings were toppled as well. A machine shed, on a farmstead west of May City, was picked up and hurled 100 feet from its foundation. The building was destroyed. Some minor damage was also done to the farmhouse as well. Trees and power lines were also downed on a farmstead east of Ocheyedan. A machine shed was also destroyed by high winds there. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Sibley | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Ashton | $30,000 | A tornado developed one mile north of Ashton, just north of the intersection of Nuthatch Avenue and 220th Street. The tornado moved northeast across farmland with a track identified on Sentinel satellite imagery. The tornado then turned after around one mile to move largely parallel to State Highway 60, briefly crossing to the east side of the road where it overturned a small shed and snapped several branches on a large tree. As the tornado tracked between Highway 60 and the Sibley Municipal Airport, an RV was tossed into a utility shed which resulted in the collapse of the shed. The tornado then turned north and moved back across Highway 60, where it destroyed a road sign shortly before it lifted one-half mile north of 190th Street. The path along and east of Highway 60 was documented on drone video. The average path width was 30 yards. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harris | $25,000 | Large trees and a grain bin were damaged by thunderstorm winds. Property and crop damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 1966 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1964 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds ripped off portions of the roofs on two hog barns. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | May City | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged the roof of a machine shed and caused tree damage. Some trees were blown down on houses and across roads. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down the walls of a garage under construction, blew a playground set into the back of a house, and caused shingle damage to several roofs. The winds also loosened rain gutters, blew downspouts away from a house, and caused widespread tree damage, including a few trees blown down. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down power poles, resulting in power outages. |
| August 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Ocheyedan | $10,000 | The tornado spun up around one-half mile west of Ocheyedan south of 160th Street. The tornado traveled south southeast along Tanager Avenue where it damaged a few trees along the road. After a little over a mile, the path shifted to the southeast. Just before the tornado dissipated near the intersection of 180th Street and Tyler Avenue, a small portion of a chicken barn roof was damaged. The average path width was 50 yards, defined by drone video. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | $10,000 | Trees and a power pole were taken down by the strong wind. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harris | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew a 3 stall garage off its foundation. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Melvin | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a building. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Ocheyedan | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1994 | Hail | Sibley | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Harris | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Harris | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1979 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | May City | $500 | Tree limbs two to four inches in diameter were snapped. Property damage costs are rough estimates. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 1991 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | May City | - | Pictures provided of quarter size hail. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Sibley | - | Quarter to half-dollar size hail fell for a brief time. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | May City | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashton | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down a large tree on a house and two trees onto the garage. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | - | Trees were reported down in Sibley from thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | - | Winds were measured by a personal weather station. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | - | Wind initially hit severe levels at 1300CST with a peak wind of 83 mph recorded at 1310CST at mesonet station RSYI4 near Sibley. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sibley | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts removed the roof from a small shed. |
Mines and quarries
38 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 38 workings inside this county. 13 still produce and 25 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 38 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Ashton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hagedorn | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hogan Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Kout Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Lienen Brothers | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Loaf Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Maudlin Const Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| May City Oil | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| May City Oil | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Molendorp Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ocheyedan | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Ohme Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Osceola County Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Peters Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Railroad | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Rehms-Stewart, Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Roskam | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Thomas Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Thomas Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Van Derveen | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Voss Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
8Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Ocheyedan
Ocheyedan township · 51354 · On Ocheyedan Mound · Ocheyedan quadrangle
7 sheets, 1954 to 1985
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.