Samuelson Family Homestead – rural Brandon, SD - Homesteads on Waymarking.com

Located at Beaver Creek Nature Area the Samuelson’s homestead and cabin awaits visitors to take a step back in history. A sign in front of the cabin tells their story.

“The Samuelsons and their Cabin. The 160 acre tract in this nature area was homesteaded by John A. Samuelson, originally from Sweden, who settled here in 1869. His first home was a dugout in the hillside where he and his wife Anna lived for three years, and in which their first child, Anna, was born. John Samuelson has the distinction of being the first pioneer settler in Split Rock Township, Minnehaha County. In 1873, they moved into the log cabin, which remains today on its original site. The couple lived in the cabin for 24 years, farming and raising a family of eight children. Besides Anna, all the other children – Celia, John, August, Christina, Carl, Emil and Martin – were all born in the cabin. Their second daughter, Greta O’Celia, was born in the cabin, but died shortly thereafter.

The 17 by 25 foot cabin was built of local, hand-hewn oak timbers. There were two rooms downstairs and one large loft upstairs. The exterior eventually had lap siding and the inside walls were plastered to help keep out the cold. The walls were also wallpapered, and the floor made of wood. The bedroom area was walled off and a set of stairs sat at the far end of the bedroom. The windows had small glass panes, and water was brought in from the well in the summer. The back door led to the kitchen, which was a small lean-to addition across the back of the house.

The Samuelson’s homestead was occupied by family members or tenants who farmed the land until it was purchased by the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department as a nature area in 1967. John passed away in 1927 and buried beside Anna who passed away in 1905 in the Riverside Cemetery in Pierre.

This sign was made possible through assistance from the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation and the Siouxland Heritage Museum.”

Photographs of the family and land are also pictured on the sign. The cabin was restored in 2004.

History if no Link: See above Structure Type: Log Cabin Link to the Homestead: Not listed Additional Parking or Point of Interest: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
A clear picture of the Homestead, Marker or Plaque taken by you. And if you like a picture of you and GPS at the marker.
No Copyrighted images please.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/11/2012 stlee visited it 10/23/2011 dbrockhouse visited it 04/28/2011 beta59 visited it

View all visits/logs