Polk county includes Osceola, Polk, Shelby and Stromsburg cities. Founded around 1871 by two settlers, Osceola was given its name by a third settler who had moved here from Osceola, Iowa. Following the drought years of 1893 to 1895 which resulted in a hard life, further hardship was visited on the city when a fire destroyed all but two buildings. However the city was rebuilt and continued on, even later on building a new high school in the 1970’s and a new sports complex early in the 1980’s. In addition to historical buildings located throughout the city and county the Polk County Historical Society grounds is the site of a museum, sod house, log cabin, country church, country school, a Union Pacific caboose and the Governor’s Arboretum. Osceola has only one park, which allows overnight parking; but the park has an Olympic sized swimming pool, illuminated tennis courts with synthetic surface, a ballpark, picnic areas and and shelters.