Ole Jondall's Story (Anders Olson's BIL)
Central Iowa was booming in the 1880's, with new cities popping up all over the prairie and new tracks of railroad were being built everyday. Settlers first arrived in the area in the 1850's and the county had a population of only 250 people in 1852. However, by the 1880's the population had risen to 17,000. The first wave of Norwegian immigration into central Iowa came in the 1850's. This group of Norwegians had first settled in Illinois before coming into Iowa. Story City, Iowa was first laid out as a town in 1878 and was incorporated in 1881. Ole Jondall's two brothers, Lars and John had already emigrated to Iowa in the 1870's. Hearing about the opportunities was probably a big pull for Ole to emigrate to the United States. All three brothers built houses and barns using wooden pegs to hold the beams together. A technique they brought with them from Norway. Ole had also been trained in cabinet making, so his ski...