by Concordia College students in History 112HU, Fall 2016
Olsen Family House, County Road 15, New Sweden, Minnesota
Olsen Family Home
Between the two photos, 92 years have passed. The house was built in 1896 by Carl Olsen, whose family immigrated from Norway thirty years earlier when Carl was only a baby. Since then four generations of his family lived in the house, each leaving their footprint on it by slightly or greatly changing the house’s look.The most obvious change is the addition on the east side of the house (right side in the picture) as well as the transformation of the screen porch into a closed porch. Furthermore, the windows next to the porch were remodeled, probably for practical reason namely having a door to the garden. Both previously mentioned changes were made by the present generation in the 2000s. Another recognizable change is the chimney, which has been rebuilt. Those additions, especially on the east side, speak for growth of the farm and family and investment in the future. The house has also been repainted in a new color over the years. The size and appearance of the house is indicative of a well off family.
The fact that the house was never rebuilt but only complemented and remodeled in over a hundred years speaks for the decent and thoroughly thought trough work back then at the end of the 19th century. It is a modest wooden house without much ornamentation, but perfectly fit to cater for the needs of a farm house in the prairie facing hot summers and cold winters.
Today the house shows modern technology elements, such as satellite antenna and lightning rod on the roof.
A change that is not visible in the picture but is still a mentionable fact is that the it was a working dairy till 1971. From an aerial perspective one could also see that many of the original farm buildings like stables and garages for agricultural equipment are no longer standing. Nevertheless, the land is still owned by the family who rents it out to farmers. And additional house for the older generation was also built. A few animals are still living on the farm but more for family resource than profit.
The history of the house is connected to some key topics we have touched so far in class. It is built on land that became available through the Homestead Act. The family who lived on the land before the Olsen’s bought it, purchased the land through the Homestead Act. Moreover, the Olsen family immigrated to the U.S. in 1865 from Norway due to economic struggle in their home country. Unfortunate timing led to financial hardship, when they built the extension on the east side of the house a month before the stock market crashed in 1929. However, during the Depression the family oftentimes hired itinerate workers who would work for board and lodge.
One conclusion that I came up with is that it is actually interesting that in times of urbanization and increase of factory and office jobs an averagely sized farm made the decision to even increase the house.
It would be interesting to find out more about the area and its immigration history in the mid nineteenth century also in regard to the Homestead Act. Another important issue which might be noteworthy to look at is the effect of the Depression in this region and the consequences it had for farmers. Furthermore, it might be interesting to take a closer look at the difficulties of building houses in the prairie during this time, as they often had to get the wood from far away.
I really enjoy working on this project and with my photo as topics discussed in class on an academic level become much more personal and better comprehensible. The micro-historical perspective makes it easier to understand how governmental, economic or cultural changes directly impacted people’s life.