Gilbert P. Olson was born March 27, 1861 at Beloit, Wisconsin. He came to Big Stone County, Minnesota at the age of thirteen years, and at the age of twenty-one he came to Dakota Territory in a covered wagon. He came to the Jessie area June 7, 1882 and he settled on Section 10 in Addie Township. He then went to Cooper Ranch and shocked grain where the town of Cooperstown now stands. That fall, Mr. Olson hauled grain to Sanborn and lumber back to Cooperstown which took three days each trip. He hauled the first load of lumber that went into the building of Cooperstown and also plowed the first furrow around to mark out where Cooperstown was to be built. He also hauled sand from Norway Lake into Cooperstown. There were about twenty wagons hauling grain. The first lumber was hauled for Knud Thompson. Olson worked there until Christmas of that year. The following year he went back to Cooper Ranch and worked in an elevator unloading grain.

Gilbert Olson was the father of Oscar Olson.

Source: Cooperstown, North Dakota 1882-1982 Centennial Page 127