Brown County MN Archives Biographies.....Olstad, Carl 1875 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 December 1, 2014, 12:40 am

Source: See Below
Author: L. A. Fritsche

CARL OLSTAD.

    No more progressive farmer and stock raiser is to be found within the
borders of Brown county than Carl Olstad, of Lake Hanska township. He was born
on February 10, 1875, in the vicinity where he now resides, and is a son of
Peter and Elizabeth (Olstad) Olstad. They are not related in blood, but were
bearing the same name when they were married, in view of the fact that they took
their names from a group of farms, and each came from the same group. These
parents immigrated to the United States in 1868 and 1869, respectively, were
married in Chicago and lived there six years, being residents of that city
during the great fire of October 9, 1871. The father was a carpenter by trade
and he worked on the reconstruction of the city after the conflagration. In the
autumn of 1874 they came to Brown county, where the father had bought eighty
acres in section 16. Lake Hanska township. The father is still living on the old
home place. He was one of the settlers that passed through the memorable
grasshopper years from 1875 to 1877, inclusive, when three successive crops were
destroyed by the insects, but fortunately he was still following his trade of
carpenter during that period, and did not lose as heavily as the farmers. He
helped organize school district No. 67, but he never sought or held public
office. Before this school was organized some of the pupils were compelled to go
long distances, and it was customary for the teacher to live in the school
house, setting up his bed in one corner of the building. Peter Olstad became the
father of four children, namely: Jennie, Carl, John, who married Theodora
Anunson, and Casper.

     Carl Olstad attended school six months in the year when a boy, and in 1897
he was graduated from the State Agricultural College. He lived at home until his
marriage at which time he moved to the farm of his uncle, Knute Olstad,
operating his place for four years, and finally bought him out in 1904. He has
since greatly improved the land. There were only two small buildings on the
place when he came here, but now he has one of the largest barns in Brown
county, twenty-six by ninety-six feet, and twenty-eight feet to the comb, also a
large silo, the first clay-brick silo to be built in the state, A. C. Ochs, of
Springfield, erecting the same for experimental purposes, and it proved a
decided success. It will hold over one hundred and fifty tons. He has also
erected other convenient and substantial buildings, including a large residence,
which is of excellent construction and design, set back some distance from the
road, surrounded by a grove of choice trees of various kinds. The farm is named
and registered as the "Cedar Lodge Farm," and it is one of the best-kept and
most productive farms in the locality. Mr. Olstad also has other business
interests, being at present manager of the Hanska-Linden Creamery Company, and
he has been a member of the board of directors of the same for several years. He
was secretary of the Hanska-Linden Store Company for seven years. He helped
organize the Hanska Rural Telephone Company and has been a member of the board
of directors since its organization, serving as vice-president of the board
until 1913 when he was elected president. He has been very successful in a
business way and is one of the substantial citizens of the county. He has a
large herd of fine Guernsey dairy cows.

    Carl Olstad was married on May 30, 1900, in Brown county, to Lena Brude, who
was born on February 16, 1876, in Albin township, this county, and is a daughter
of Lars and Ingeborg (Bjorneberg) Brude, natives of Norway, from which country
they came to the United States in 1872, first settling in Albin township, Brown
county, Minnesota, where the father homesteaded eighty acres of land which is
now owned by John Nessit and is located in section 28, Later the family moved to
Lake Hanska township, where the parents spent the rest of their lives. Mrs. Lena
Olstad was a student in the State Normal, lacking only a few months of
graduation. She taught school for five years in the rural schools of Lake Hanska
township. To Mr. and Mrs. Olstad three children have been born, namely: Porter,
born on January 13, 1902; Freda, December 8, 1905; Ida, July 18, 1907, died on
May 7, 1912, when five years old. Mrs. Olstad and family are members of the Lake
Hanska Lutheran church. He is independent in politics. He is at present clerk of
the school district, and has been a member of the school board since coming of
age, with the exception of one year. He has done much to encourage better
schools in his home district.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY MINNESOTA
ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS

L. A. FRITSCHE. M. D.
Editor

With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records
of Many of the Old Families

VOLUME II
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana

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