Knut Olson

As printed in 1916

Knut Olson, a prosperous farmer of Otter Tail county, Minnesota, who was born eighteen miles out of Christiania. Norway, June 27, 1841, is a son of Ole E. and Osta Olson.

Mr. Olson's parents were both natives of Norway and there grew up and were married. After the death of his mother, Knut Olson came to America with his father in 1866. A little later they settled in Mower county, Minnesota, and afterward the father, whose death occurred in 1874, joined his son in Otter Tail county, where he had removed some time previously. Mr. Olson was one of seven children born to his parents, namely: Ingebrit, a farmer by occupation, died in Mower county, Minnesota; Thor, also a farmer, died in North Dakota; Sarah, the wife of Eric Ingebritson, died in Norway; Chester, who married Nils Harls, died in Minnesota; Mary was married in Norway and there died; Ole, a farmer living near Dawson, Minnesota, and Knut, the immediate subject of this review.

Knut Olson received his early education in the public schools of Norway, and after criming to America with his father, in 1866, settled first in Mower county. Minnesota, where he worked for his brother on a farm. Two years later he came to Otter Tail county, when there was not a house on the present site of Fergus Falls. Here, in section 4, of Tordenskjold township, he homesteaded one hundred and sixty-five acres of land, which was mainly prairie, but upon which there was some timber standing. Here he built a log house, and has lived on this farm ever since, clearing his land and improving it in various ways. In the meantime, however, he has erected modern farm buildings and is engaged in general farming. Mr. Olson is a stockholder in various enterprises.

In 1872 Knut Olson was married to Sarah Erickson, a native of Norway, and the daughter of Ole Erickson, and to this union there have been (61b) born ten children: Edward E., a farmer of Tordenskjold township; Anna, living on a homestead in Dakota; Emma, the wife of Ed Nelson, lives in Dakota; Clara died at the age of twenty-three years: Xeal, a farmer living in Dakota; Minnie, the wife of Harry Ingebretson, and they live in Dakota; Christian is a farmer living in Dakota; Sanford, a homestead farmer, and Hnlda and Carol, living at home with their parents.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

As printed in History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1916). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.