Historical Accounts of Osborne
Many people
ask the history of Osborne… when it was started, where it is headed and so
on. The name of the center comes from the gentleman that first occupied
this site in 1865 and named it after himself- Thomas Osborne. In 1878 Mr.
Osborne began selling plots of land in order to form the town of Osborne.
By 1880 Osborne had grown to include 50 full time residents, a 2 ½ story
hotel, blacksmith shop, general store, grain elevator and railroad depot.
However, due
to low food prices the town began to fade until the town quickly shrank to
less than 10 people. Today there is still one person and two dogs who boast
that they live in the town of Osborne.
Osborne
and the Clayton County Conservation Board
In the fall
of 1960, the Clayton County Conservation Board purchased 60 acres of the
original Osborne homestead and established it as a county park. The
Conservation Board’s vision was to create a forest where students could
learn in the great outdoors. In the spring of 1961, a variety of evergreen
trees were planted, so that visitors could identify them. Today that stand
of trees is 45 years old and continues to teach youngsters the importance of
trees in Iowa.
This vision
of “a place where students can learn” has been the guiding force for the
development of the Osborne Center. In 1971 the Conservation Board purchased
an additional 155 acres of land from Ben Casey. The land, located north
across the Volga River, is used for archery, hiking, skiing, sledding, and
birding. The first conservation board nature center was built in 1971. At
that time the center hosted around 250 students a year. Today, two
full-time naturalists serve nearly 15,000 students each year.
In
September 1987, the Clayton County Conservation Board received a $150,000
grant to create a Visitor Welcome Center from the Iowa Department of
Economic Development. The Conservation Board had to match this grant with
money donated from thousands of people! Evidence of this support can still
be seen today inside the Osborne Center in the form of a money tree. Stop by the Welcome Center to learn more
about travel opportunities in Iowa, visit with a certified Iowa Travel
Counselor and pick up brochures and maps. While there, check out the
Iowa Room Gift Shop. Come visit with us
and see what great and unusual products are available right here at
Osborne!
