Oscar A. Olson was born December 23, 1876 in Canton, Fillmore County, Minnesota. In the early 1880s the Olson family moved to the Grafton area. They traveled by covered wagon drawn by oxen. The parents, Oscar, two sisters and three brothers, lived in a sod house. Because the rich Red River valley was so hard to farm with oxen and with very little equipment, the Olson family again moved. This move brought them to northern Barnes County.

In 1899 Oscar Olson purchased the South Half of Section 15, in Minnie Lake Township. At this time it was all prairie land, no trees and just a vast area of grassland. Mr. Olson farmed as a bachelor until 1907 when on February 13th he married Gusta Bjerke.

Gusta Bjerke was born on August 14, 1889 in Nannestad, Norway, the daughter of Karen and Olaus Bjerke. She came to the United States in 1893 with her parents. They also settled in Minnie Lake Township on what is now the Ben Sundstrom farm.

Gusta and Oscar Olson were the parents of six children. Arthur died in infancy. lone, the only daughter, died of diphtheria when two years old. Olaf, a retired teacher, lives in Phoenix, AZ. Archie lives on the original farm. Vincent, an undertaker and co-owner of the Peterson-Olson Funeral Home in Valley City. David, the youngest, also farms in Minnie Lake Township.

Oscar Olson passed away in December of 1943. Gusta Olson then married Edwin Stemhagen in June of 1945. They lived in Valley City until their death. Edwin passed away in August of, 1967 and Gusta passed away in May of 1969.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 186