Communities

OSCEOLA - This town, in Osceola precinct was named for Osceola, a chief of the Seminole Indian tribe in Florida. It was located temporarily in August, 1870, and permanently October 10, 1871, surveyed and platted in June, 1872. Osceola is the county seat of Polk county. According to Gannett’s account of place names the name Osceola “refers to a medicine drink used by the tribe in certain ceremonies.”  (map)

POLK - The Village of Polk, also named after President Polk, was the last town in Polk county to be established. Incorporated on September 11, 1907,  the town was plotted and a “Grand Auction” was held to sell the lots on Sept. 11, 1906.  This was at the request of the Union Pacific railroad.   (map)

SHELBY - Shelby was laid out by the Union Pacific railroad in 1879, and was at that time called Arcade. The post office department, however, objected to this name because of its similarity to Arcadia in Valley County Nebraska. The railroad then communicated with the post office department and the name Shelby was given to the town in honor of an official on the Union Pacific Railroad.  (map)

STROMSBURG - The town of Stromsburg, in the Stromsburg precinct, was located and surveyed in June, 1872. Stromsburg came into being when Lewis Headstrom, a Swedish real estate agent, was sent from Illinois to establish a colony in Nebraska. The local consensus is that the town was named for Stromsborg, Sweden, a section of Ockelbo where he was born.  (map)

An interesting chapter was written in Polk County history in 1916 when an attempt was made to relocate Polk’s county seat. While Stromsburg was quite a bit larger, it was farther from the center of the county. The election, while causing a great deal of concern, did not get the two-thirds majority required for the change.

Polk County is comprised of 450 square miles and has approximately 288,000 acres of land fit for cultivation. In this county, the north fork of the Blue River arises, and the Platte River forms the north and west boundaries. The county is adapted to agriculture, stock raising and dairying.

Polk County Economic Development

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