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In the spring of 1844, William Kent and several young entrepreneurs who came from Maine settled in the area now known as Osceola. Utilizing the water power at the Osceola Creek and Cascade Falls, they built a sawmill. The community was first known as Leroy, after the first white man to die here, and Bluffville, named for the sandstone cliffs above the river. Kent owned the entire claim of what is now Osceola by 1855. Deciding be wanted to change the name of his now flourishing river town, he was reported to have traded the privilege of renaming the community to James Livingston in exchange for to sheep. Livingston chose the name Osceola, in honor of his great Seminole Indian Chief of Florida. In the year 1858, the County Board of Supervisors officially changed the name of Leroy to Osceola. Osceola was a frequent stop of excursion steamboats in the late 1800's. The first steamboat built in the St. Croix Valley was made at Osceola in the winter of 1855. At the point where Osceola Creek runs into the St. Croix, passengers would stop to embark upon a boardwalk along the creek to the foot of the Cascade Falls. Presently, visitors will find two of Osceola's building on the National Register of Historical Places. Fishing, boating, hiking and antiquing are just some of the opportunities available in the active scenic community of Osceola today. Osceola, Wisconsin is a quaint little historical town on the beautiful St. Croix River.
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