Eminent Homemaker
County: Beadle
Lillian (O.V.) Olson lives in Beadle County 5½ miles northwest of Huron. She has been active in many community endeavors during her 43 years as a homemaker.
She was born in Brookings on Dec. 19, 1892. Her parents—Julia and Ole Rude—farmed near Bruce, where Lillian attended public school.
She met O.V. Olson, who was attending Aggie School at Brookings, and the couple was married at Brookings on Sept. 17, 1914. They then moved to the farm homesteaded by O.V. Olson’s parents which is several miles from their present place. They have farmed in that area since.
The Olsons have raised six children—three of whom farm within three miles of the home farm—and have 30 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Robert, Arthur and Donald farm nearby while Harlan is manager of Pugsley Union at South Dakota State College. They also have two daughters: Dorothy (Gordon) Olson, Dubuque, Iowa and Eleanor (Dale) Biggerstaff, Sheppardsville, Kentucky.
All six were active in 4-H Club work as youngsters and four of them won trips to National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. Each has also taken advanced schooling beyond high school.
She was a charter member of the Economy Extension Club, organized about 30 years ago, and has held all the club offices.
She had been chaplain of the county Grange organization. They were also charter members of the county Farm Bureau.
They are members of the First Baptist Church of Huron. Olson is a member of a church circle and also of a non-denominational ladies aid group in her rural community.
The Olson’s first farm home was a small house O. V. had lived in as a bachelor. They fixed it up together and almost from the first had running water—except for a couple of dry years.
The family has always been in close contact with the County Extension Office for new ideas and practices on farming and homemaking.
With the family of eight, Olson used to do a lot of canning and freezing but has cut down on this now.
Her hobbies include flower gardening and babysitting with her grandchildren.