Olson, Charles E. "Charley"
1878-1932 | Miner and Pioneer
Charles "Charley' Edward Olson was born in Kalmar, Sweden in 1878. In 1897, at the age of nineteen, Olson immigrated to the United States.[1]
On March 10, 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he enlisted in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner of the United States Coast Guard. He served aboard the U.S. Revenue Cutter Manning in Alaska. He was mustered out at San Francisco, March 9, 1901, at the conclusion of the conflict, with an excellent rating.[2]
After a four-year hitch Olson joined the gold stampede to Nome in 1901. He mined around Nome and then moved on to the gold strike at Iditarod in 1910.
When visiting Chicago in 1911, Olson met Matilda Sophia Karlson. She was born in Orebro, Sweden on January 5, 1881,[3] and immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1900, living in New York and Chicago. By the time of their meeting, Olson was a successful placer miner in the Takotna mining district and held several claims on Ganes Creek. In 1912 he sent for Matilda, and they were married in Takotna the same year. Charles and Matilda Olson had one daughter, Ruby, born in 1913.[4]
They continued to mine on Ganes Creek until 1919 when Olson, suffering with arthritis, could no longer work as a miner. In 1920, he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen after his petition for naturalization was filed at the U.S. District Court at Anchorage.[5]
After their arrival in Anchorage, Matilda Olson opened a small cafeteria to serve workers in the Alaska Railroad’s rail yards. They also maintained a large garden at their Anchorage home and raised fresh produce, selling it to local stores. Matilda Olson was a member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Auxiliary 4, Anchorage.[6]
Charles Olson died in June 1932, in Anchorage. His widow, Matilda Sophia Karlson Olson, died on October 19, 1965, in Anchorage.[7] Both are buried in the Veterans section of the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery. They were survived by their daughter, Ruby Olson Matthews, of Anchorage.
Click an image to see more
Endnotes
[1] Charles E. Olson [Olson], U.S. 1930 Census, Anchorage, Third Judicial District, Alaska, ED 3-1, page 18B, National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Roll 2627, 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed September 10, 2016).
[2] “Veteran Laid to Last Rest by Comrades,” Anchorage Daily Times, June 23, 1932, 6; and “Olson Funeral Tomorrow Eve,” Anchorage Daily Times, June 21, 1932, 7.
[3] Matilda Olson, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed September 10, 2016).
[4] “Matilda Olson, 54-Year Alaska Resident, Dies,” Anchorage Daily Times, October 20, 1965, 2; and Matilda Olsen [Olson], U.S. 1930 Census, Anchorage, Third Judicial District, Alaska, ED 3-1, page 18B, National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Roll 2627, 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed September 10, 2016).
[5] Index card, Charles Edward Olson, July 13, 1920, U.S. District Court, District of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, National Archives Microfilm Publication M1788, Indexes to Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the District, Territory, and State of Alaska (Third Division), 1903-1991, Roll 13, U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed September 10, 2016).
[6] “Matilda Olson, 54-Year Alaska Resident, Dies,” Anchorage Daily Times, October 20, 1965, 2; and John P. Bagoy, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935 (Anchorage: Publications Consultants, 2001), 159-160.
[7] “Matilda Olson, 54-Year Alaska Resident, Dies,” Anchorage Daily Times, October 20, 1965, 2; and Matilda S. Olson, U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line], http://ancestry.com (accessed September 10, 2016).
Sources
This entry for Charles Edward Olson originally appeared in John Bagoy’s Legends and Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1935 (Anchorage: Publications Consultants, 2001), 159-160. See also the Charles Edward Olson file, Bagoy Family Pioneer Files (2004.11), Box 6, Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Anchorage, AK. Photographs courtesy of the Olson family. Edited by Mina Jacobs, 2012. Note: edited, revised, and expanded by Bruce Parham, September 10, 2016.
Preferred citation: Bruce Parham, ed., “Olson, Charles E. ‘Charley’,” Cook Inlet Historical Society, Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, http://www.alaskahistory.org.
Major support for Legends & Legacies, Anchorage, 1910-1940, provided by: Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Atwood Foundation, Cook Inlet Historical Society, and the Rasmuson Foundation. This educational resource is provided by the Cook Inlet Historical Society, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt association. Contact us at the Cook Inlet Historical Society, by mail at Cook Inlet Historical Society, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, 625 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99501 or through the Cook Inlet Historical Society website, www.cookinlethistory.org.