Otsego County

First named Okkuddo when it was set off in 1840, this county was renamed Otsego in 1843 after a New York county and lake by that name. It is said to mean “clear water.” Settlement did not begin until the late 1860s when lumbering was started. Otsego Lake, the first village, was founded in 1872 and became county seat in 1875 when the county was organized. Gaylord was settled in 1874 and named county seat in 1877. Farming and the tourist industry are now the chief businesses.