Ole Olson Farm

History

The original owner of 80 acres of this parcel was Andrew Tuffner, who sold it to Thomas Kelderhouse in 1865. Kelderhouse sold it to Ole Olsen in 1877 who sold it to Carsten Burfiend and then bought it back two years later. The land was settle by Olsen, who emigrated from Norway, and landed on North Manitou Island, where he met his wife Magdalena Burfiend. Although the boundaries of this 120 acre farm have remained constant, ownerships has changed many times; for most of the time, however it has been owned by the Olsen family. After Ole Olsen built the farm, his son Charles bought it in 1891 and farmed there until 1915 when he married and built the Charles Olsen farm on M-22. He later sold this farm to Albert and Ida [Dago] Prause. In 1954, Prause sold the farm to Howard Olsen, a grandson of Ole and a nephew of Charles. Howard Olsen’s widow, Bertha lived in the house until 1995. The remaining buildings and land were sold to the Park Service.

The farm’s main crop was wheat, producing 140 bushes in 1870. They also produced 150 bushels of potatoes on one acre of land. Common to many Port Oneida farms is a black locust grove. Several apple trees are scattered throughout the yard. The barn is a three bay barn, initially a ground threshing barn that was raised to accommodate dairy operations. Resource: Farming at the Water’s Edge by Marla McEnaney

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