Samuel Erik OLSON

  Noted events in his life were:

• Biography: LET'S GET ACQUAINTED by Anita Cook. We have had a lot of "press" about our heritage which has created a wonderful sense of being connected for our extended Olson family. The time at our last reunion passed so quickly it seems we barely had time to greet each other, let alone exchange much about our lives so I thought I would take this opportunity to write something about our branch, the Sam Olson branch, to sort of get acquainted.
Sam, born April 29, 1896 and next to the youngest of Blixt and Christina's seven children, fortunately was a very strong and determined person because he had some unusual challenges in his life.

Sam and Emma Olson Ranch in 1935 with St. Peters Mountain in the background (now called Mt. Leona)
Bill, Lyn, Joe, Art, Fuller and Lee (front left to right then back left to right)


Drafted into the U.S. army in his early 20's to train for duty in WW1 he was sent to a military camp in California where he contacted spinal meningitis and came very close to losing his life. During his illness his sense of hearing suddenly and totally ended. After his recovery (which took several months) the army sent him to an agricultural school at Davis University in California. I asked him how he got there and how he managed without being able to hear.

Being before the days of consideration for people with physical handicaps the army just gave him a note that said "I am deaf" and put him on the train for Davis, California. He never had any formal training for the deaf but learned to communicate in spite of his loss of hearing. I have had people say to me, "My it is wonderful how your Father can manage with such a handicap" and I would think to my self "What handicap?"

Sam returned to Malo after he left Davis, married Emma Dahlgren, a beautiful young teacher from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. They bought a farm five miles beyond the Malo store at the end of the north fork of St. Peter's Creek road. I don't think it was every bride's dream home! There was a partially finished, two story log home heated by a wood stove and without running water or electricity. This was not unusual, however, in rural America of the early 1920's.The water had to be carried into the house in buckets and then heated on the stove for everything where hot water was needed from washing dishes to bathing in the round galvanized tub. Thanks to Sam's ingenuity by piping spring water from the mountains they eventually did have running water and generated electricity from the power of the water. We had running water in our house and electric lights which no one else had until the REA electrified the rural areas and that was about 20 years later.

Five children were born to Sam and Emma while they lived on their farm at Malo, Miriam the oldest, then Joe, Anita, Don and Dean. Sam expanded his ranch by buying neighboring farms and took began raising Registered Shorthorn cattle, both a great source of pride for him. There was a lot of work for all of us to do. The summers were spent stockpiling everything for our family as well as for the cattle and horses so we could eat and stay warm during the winter months. The alfalfa had to be brought into the barn, the grain had to be threshed (this took a lot of hired help and my mother had to cook for all the hired help during the summer harvest) the garden had to be harvested, the wood had to be stockpiled so we could stay warm in the winter, etc. just to mention a few activities.

We did manage some time out for a bit of fun. There were sleigh rides and bon fires in the winter. We rode horses and made our own ice cream, which was a great activity of stirring the cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar for hours in the freezer, adding ice that we got from Uncle David's ice house at the Malo store, tasting often to see if the ice cream had frozen yet! One of my favorite memories was the aroma of freshly baked bread when we got home from school in the late afternoon, which our Mother baked every week. Sam had played the violin before he lost his hearing and Emma loved music, too. A traveling salesman was touring the country side with pianos for sale. They purchased a piano so there was the opportunity for music lessons. They both felt education was very important and paid strict attention and encouraged our performance at school.

During 1943 we moved away from the farm on the rocky hillside where our Mother had worried constantly that the horses would run away with the mower or hay rake attached to them (and they some times did) or the tractor would tip over on the rocky hillside with our Dad aboard, or he might get gored by our huge bull because he would walk without caution through the corral. He was attacked once by a boar when he entered the pen to feed the pigs. It was after dark and he lost his balance and fell (impaired balance was a part of the meningitis and hearing loss). The hired man used a pitch fork to chase the boar off but not before he ripped a big gash in his forearm. Our new farm was closer to Spokane, much closer to civilization than Malo!

World War II was nearing an end. Miriam had been away from home working in the shipyards in Portland, Oregon, Joe soon went into the Navy leaving Donny, Dean and me at home with Mom and Daddy. Again there were many challenges. Part of the land had timber on it and Sam as always, looking for bigger and better, started clearing the trees to make more area for growing crops and of course we all had to participate. Joe would come home to help whenever he could. After the war was over Miriam started school at the University of Washington. Joe finished his time in the Navy and enrolled at Gonzaga University in Spokane, taking time out from school to work in the merchant marines on ships sailing to world wide ports.

The farm in Deer Park, near Spokane, was level, subirrigated, productive land and much easier to manage than the Malo farm. Our home was warm, cozy and nice. We had an electric stove, hot water, and a refrigerator!! The herd of Registered Shorthorn cattle grew and much to Sam's delight they won many blue ribbons from the County and State Fairs where Sam, Donny and Dean showed them. We three youngest children, Donny, Dean and I, were in elementary school when we moved to Deer Park. We finished school there, Sam and Emma remained there for a few years after we all left home to embark on our own lives.

In the early 60's Sam and Emma retired from their many years of hard work and moved to Spokane until they visited Miriam in Phoenix, Arizona where she had recently moved. Sam loved the warm, sunny, winter days there, contrasted to the near zero weather and snow in Spokane so he decided they would move to Phoenix! He told Miriam to call Joe in Spokane and tell him to sell their home in Spokane, they wouldn't be back. They bought another home in Phoenix and spent some wonderful years there, before they passed away, Emma in 1981 and Sam in 1983.

[http://www.kevinolson.com/olson/chronicles/vol10/vol10.html#06]

Samuel married Emma Marie Ambjorg DAHLGREN, daughter of Ahl Johannesson DAHLGREN and Anne Knudsdatter HASLERUD, on 13 Aug 1925 in Lincoln County, WA. (Emma Marie Ambjorg DAHLGREN was born on 27 Sep 1901 in Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho and died on 6 Jun 1981 in Spokane, Spokane County, WA.)

  Marriage Notes:

Chelan, WA