In late September 2022, a small group of city staff and long-time residents met to begin discussing what the City might do to celebrate the major milestone of its 150th Anniversary!

Much of Osseo's history was discussed at that meeting. Including our past as a major trades and services center for the north metro area, a transportation hub between Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Cloud, our early schools, farms, industries, and of course, potatoes! 

The city wants to incorporate this history and more into the celebrations. We have the opportunity to make use of a large number of archival photos and documents, along with the memories of so many of our residents. Gathering, recording, and displaying these pieces will take time and energy, and we'll need your help to make it happen. So over the next 2.5 years the city will be reaching out to its residents for input, advice, and comment. We have included a form below to collect whatever comments you might have. You can also email Community Management Coordinator Jessica Rieland at jrieland@ci.osseo.mn.us.

Osseo's last major anniversary was its 100th, in 1976. This celebration was such a success that the city returned in 1977 with the first annual event that we now know as 'Lions Roar'. This is why we are currently planning to connect this event with Lions Roar 2025, to make it a particularly special week.
One of the wonderful benefits of having archives going back decades is that we sometimes find ourselves with little pieces of history. 

Many people know that in 1976 the city published a pamphlet celebrating 100 years since the city was established. Well, less known is that in 1952, upon the 100th anniversary of the Parish of Saint Vincent De Paul In Osseo, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul published another pamphlet celebrating the previous 100 years of Osseo history, going back to 1852!

The city has a copy of each in the archives, and while neither is in condition to be handled frequently, each has now been scanned (as best as we were able) and uploaded here.

Click the links below to enjoy the history of our city going back more than 170 years!

100 Year History of the City of Osseo 1876-1976

History of 100 Years of Osseo and Souvenir of the Dedication of the New Rectory and Parochial School (1852-1952)