Samuel Olson

Biography:

Samuel Olson (1866-1942), Kensington jeweler and optometrist, was among a group that went to the Ohman farm in May of 1899 to inspect and excavate the site where the Kensington Rune Stone had been found. Samuel was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 22, 1866 and was a son of one of Stevens County's pioneer families. The Salmon B. and Jonette Olson family settled on a farm in Framnas Twp, Stevens Co in 1878. Samuel Olson and Hannah Marie Thorstad of Morris, Minnesota were married August 6, 1887 in Minneapolis. Sam graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry and in 1895 the family moved to Kensington. Olson's jewelry store and optometry office was in a building on the northwest corner of Kensington's main street.

Sam Olson served as village recorder for a couple of years and as president of the council (mayor) 1908-1910 and 1912-1914. The family moved to Winfred, Montana in 1914. The Olsons returned to Minnesota in 1929, moving to Glenwood where Samuel operated his optometry office until 1938. He passed away at his home in Glenwood on June 25, 1942. Samuel, wife Hanna, and daughter Helen are buried in the Olson family plot in Scandia Cemetery (Stevens Co., Framnas Twp) about 10 miles south and west of Kensington.