Oskaloosa

History

Oskaloosa derives its name from Ouscaloosa who, according to town lore, was a Creek princess who married Seminole chief Osceola. A local tradition was that her name meant "last of the beautiful". (This interpretation of "last of the beautiful" is not correct. "" in the Mvskoke-Creek language means "black rain", from the Mvskoke words "" (rain) and "" (black). "loosa" is an English corruption of the Mvskoke word "". For example, see the Wikipedia entry for Tuskaloosa, eponym of the town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In addition the Mvskoke word "" means "Black Water"). The first European-American settlers arrived in 1835, led by Nathan Boone, youngest son of frontiersman Daniel Boone. Acting on instructions from Stephen W. Kearny, he selected this as the first site of Fort Des Moines, located on a high ridge between the Skunk and Des Moines rivers. The ridge was originally called the Narrows. The town was formally platted in 1844 when William Canfield moved his trading post from the Des Moines River to Oskaloosa. The town was designated by the legislature as the county seat in the same year. The Central Iowa Railway followed, which became the Iowa Central Railway in 1888 and was absorbed by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway in 1901. In 1883, the Burlington and Western Railway reached Oskaloosa; this was a narrow gauge line that was widened to Standard Gauge in 1902 and then merged with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. On January 6, 1882, most of the buildings in the north half of Oskaloosa were severely damaged and most of the plate glass windows in the area were broken by an explosion. Three boys were killed in the explosion. The boys had been seen shooting at the A. L. Spencer gunpowder magazine half a mile north of the town center. The first…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Oskaloosa has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  439
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  401
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  344
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  325
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  275
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  273
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  258
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  250

Largest nearby schools

• Oskaloosa Elementary School
  Elementary · Oskaloosa · 886 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Oskaloosa High School
  High · Oskaloosa · 600 students · 15:1 ratio
• Oskaloosa Middle School
  Middle · Oskaloosa · 454 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Oskaloosa Early Childhood Center - PK
  Other · Oskaloosa · 99 students · 33:1 ratio
• Oskaloosa Virtual Academy
  Other · Oskaloosa · 42 students · 42:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-06-25
  10 km WNW of Marysville, Iowa
• M 3 — 2025-06-25
  5 km S of Knoxville, Iowa
• M 3.3 — 2025-06-25
  8 km SE of Knoxville, Iowa