Carl V. Olson was born in Nelson Township, Barnes County, on April 20, 1906. He attended school in Nelson Township and later farmed with his father. In 1922, Carl and his parents moved to the Simonson farm in Nelson Township. He was married to Esther Anderson of Valley City on October 30, 1930. They have three sons and two daughters- Mavis, Charles, Dennis, Ronald and Bonnie. During this time Carl and his brother Henry went into partnership and farmed for several years.
In 1934, Carl's parents decided that after forty years of farming, they would retire and Carl was left with the farming operation. This was during the Depression and the "dirty 30's" and prior to this, the land had been mortgaged to the New York Life Insurance Company. The early years of the 1930's were an auspicious time for a young couple to start farming in North Dakota on rented land. The Fargo Loan Agency, acting as agents for the New York Life Insurance Company, approached Carl and asked if he was interested in buying this land. Carl and Esther milked cows and sold cream to buy their groceries and certainly didn't have any money to buy land, but were interested, so John P. Martin, president of the Fargo Loan Agency, loaned them $1500 on a plain note to make the down payment on this section of land where they were living. The 1940's were better years and Carl managed to pay for the farm in a few years. Additional land was acquired through the years. The two oldest sons, Charles and Dennis, now operate this farm that their parents started on, in addition to land they have acquired. The other children live in or near Valley City also - Ronald is a salesman and has farming interests, Mavis is a nurse and Bonnie is a beautician. Carl and Esther have nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Carl has served on many committees, always volunteering his services. He served on both the Nelson Township Board of Supervisors and the Sheyenne Valley Church Board for several years. In 1946, Russ Widdifield, county agent, and Carl organized the first township officers association in North Dakota - Carl became the first chairman, serving two terms. He has served as chairman of the educational Board of Re-organization and Annexation for 27 years. In 1961, he was elected to the national board of the Lutheran Hospitals and Homes Society, which serves about one hundred hospitals and nursing homes in fourteen states. Carl and Esther are members of Our Saviours Lutheran Church. Several years ago they retired and now live in Valley City.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 182