Martin Olson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 631-632 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				MARTIN OLSON. 

	Martin Olson became one of the extensive landowners of Lake 
county, yet his efforts were not concentrated upon business affairs to 
the exclusion of other interests and he has been particularly active in 
promoting the moral progress of the community as an earnest member and 
generous supporter of the Lutheran church. A native of Norway, he was 
born near Christiania on the 9th of March, 1845, and is a son of Ole 
and Helena OIson. They came to the United States in 1869 and settled in 
Winneshiek county, Iowa, where they resided until called to their final 
rest. The mother passed away in 1871 and the father, having survived 
for almost a quarter of a century, died in 1895. In their family were 
two children, the younger being Andrew, a resident of Lake county. 

	Martin Olson acquired his education in the schools of Norway 
until he reached the age of fourteen years, when his textbooks were put 
aside. He continued to work as a farm laborer until coming to the 
United States in 1869 and in 1871 he bought a small farm in Iowa, 
devoting his attention to its cultivation until 1874, when he left that 
state and took up his abode on a tract of land in Lake county, three 
miles southeast of Madison. He secured both homestead and tree claims 
and later acquired other lands, making judicious investments in farm 
property from time to time until his acreage totaled eleven hundred and 
twenty. He has since given a part of this land to his sons but he ranks 
today among the prosperous farmers of the county, owning rich and well 
improved lands from which he derives a very gratifying and substantial 
annual income. 

	On the 2d of September, 1872, in Iowa, Mr. Olson was united in 
marriage to Miss Bertha Johnson, a native of Norway, who in 1867 came 
to Iowa with her parents, Lars and Marie (Peterson) Johnson. To our 
subject and his wife have been born five children, as follows: Henry 
Otto, who follows farming in Lake county; Minnie, who gave her hand in 
marriage to Hillman Olson; Josephine, who was the wife of Peter Hoidal 
and passed away in 1912; Lena, who is the wife of Anton Westbury, of 
Lake county; and Oscar, who wedded Miss Josephine Eide and operates the 
home farm. Ml. and Mrs. Olson now have twenty-one grandchildren. All of 
the children have been given excellent educational opportunities, 
attending the public schools, while some of them are college bred. 
Moreover, Mr. Olson has been most generous to his children in a 
financial way, giving them farms with which to start out in life. 

	In his political views he is a republican and for many years has 
served on the township and school boards, while at all times his active 
cooperation has been an element in the progress and upbuilding of the 
district in which he lives. In religious faith ho is a Lutheran and is 
serving as a trustee in his home church. He is known as a most generous 
contributor to the church and to educational and charitable 
institutions throughout the state. As one of the pioneer settlers of 
Lake county he deserves special mention, for the Olsons were one of the 
first ten families in the county, taking up their abode here when 
Worthington. eighty miles distant, was their nearest market. They 
experienced many of the hardships, trials and privations of frontier 
life but their labors wrought marked improvement as the years went on 
and Mr. Olson became one of the prosperous men of the county and is 
today regarded as one of the most substantial citizens Natural advances 
in land values, persistent energy and sound business discrimination 
have been the factors that have contributed to his success. He is one 
of the well known residents of his part of the state, having won 
admiration and esteem by the work that he has accomplished and the 
honorable methods he has pursued.