Forrest A. Olin Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 889-890

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


FORREST A. OLIN is one of the worthy citizens of Blaine township, 
Jerauld county, South Dakota, who through his own unaided efforts has 
become one of the well-to-do citizens of his community. He was born in 
Fayette county, Iowa, in 1858, and is a son of Benjamin F. and Rachel 
A. (Herin) Olin, who were natives of New York and Indiana, 
respectively, and were married in the latter state. About 1854 or 1855 
they took up their residence in Iowa, but never remained more than two 
years in one place. By occupation the father was a farmer and 
lumberman. 

The subject of this sketch is the second in order of birth in a family 
of nine children and during his boyhood and youth accompanied his 
parents on their various removals, living at different times in Iowa, 
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. He attended the country schools but 
his school days were over at the age of fourteen years, as he then 
started out in life to earn his own livelihood. 

At the age of twenty-five Mr. Olin first came to Jerauld county, South 
Dakota, but spent the following summer as a section hand on the 
railroad at Alexandria before locating permanently here. At first he 
was employed as a farm hand, but in the fall of 1889 he bought three 
horses and the following spring commenced operating rented land. His 
first crop was two hundred bushels of wheat, raised on forty acres, but 
he had to give a fourth of this for rent. In the fall of 1890 he 
purchased the northeast quarter of section 22, Blaine township, and 
later bought the relinquishment to the northwest quarter of section 23. 

Mr. Olin was married in the fall of 1891 to Miss Evelyn E. McKune, a 
native of Minnesota and a daughter of A. and Julia McKune, natives of 
Pennsylvania and Vermont respectively. For sixteen years she 
successfully engaged in teaching school in Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota, 
and in 1881 took up land in this state, where she still owns one 
hundred and sixty acres. 

On his arrival in Mitchell, South Dakota, in 1883, Mr. Olin had but 
$1.90, but by good management, industry and economy he has become the 
owner of a half-section of land, of which two hundred and twenty acres 
are fenced, one hundred acres under cultivation and well improved. He 
raises a few gooseberries and has a good well upon his place with a 
windmill attached. He is now making preparations to locate on the 
northeast quarter of section 22, Blaine township. Since 1885 he has 
been more or less interested in the cattle business, but has given the 
greater part of his attention to the raising of grain, and the first 
crop raised upon land of his own averaged nineteen bushels to the acre. 
He is a prominent representative of the Populist party, has served as a 
delegate to most of the county conventions of his party, has been 
chairman of the township central committee, and has filled, some 
township office continuously since 1891. Socially he is a member of the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. To Mr. and Mrs. Olin have been born 
three children, Merle, Erma and Erwin F.