Heavily laden with deciduous trees and interspersed with lakes, rivers, ponds, and prairies, the area of Otsego was part of the region known as the Big Woods. Located at the junction of two major waterways, the Mississippi and Crow Rivers, this fertile land attracted its first settlers of European descent in 1852. After only a few short years the land was clear, businesses, schools, and homes were built, and an abundant future in agriculture had begun. The story of Otsego, as told through pictures, newspaper clippings, and the memories of local residents, shares how generations of war heroes, agricultural scientists, and entrepreneurs survived years of hardship to eventually form what is now the youngest city in Minnesota, having been incorporated in November 1990.