Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/688

 604 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY Galesburg, 111., and vicinity, was employed at farm work, in the flour mills, on the C. B. & Q. R. R., and in other general work. In 1857 he moved to Red Wing, which he made his permanent home until the time of his death. His early days in Red Wing were the pioneer days of Goodhue county and, being a young man without means or a trade, he had to work his way into bet- ter things and grow up with the country. He was ambitious and frugal, and as soon as he had acquired a little capital engaged in various small business enterprises — draying, small contracting, etc. In 1862 he formed a partnership with J. G. Gustafson under the firm name of Swanson & Gustafson, and engaged in the sell- ing of grain, flour and feed. At that time Goodhue county was sparsely settled, but in the midst of an active imigration; and these products were shipped here in large quantities from the lower and older Mississippi river points in Illinois. They did a strictly retail business, but a thousand-dollar day was some- times reached. In after years, when Red Wing became a world famous shipping point, one would hardly believe that this fertile country a1 one time imported such products by the barge load. Upon disposing of this business Messrs. Swanson & Gustafson joined the firm of Simmons, Olsen, Busch & Co., general mer- chants, which continued for several years. Mr. Swanson. how- ever, took no acti^ part in this firm. He engaged in the shipping and selling of horses, and later entered into a partnership with W. F. Cross in the livery business. In 1874 he became associated with diaries Erickson in the furniture business under the name of Erickson & Swanson, and soon after began the manufacturing and wholesaling of furniture, having purchased the Koch fac- tory on Dakota street. In 1880 their business was formed into a stock company and incorporated as the Red Wing Furniture Company. Mr. Swanson acting as manager of the retail branch of the business. In 1882 the Red Wing Furniture Company dis- continued the retailing of furniture and Mr. Swanson purchased this branch of the business, which he conducted for a short time, when same was merged with Charles Erickson 's retail store and the D. C. Hill factory and a stock company formed under the name of the Red Wing Manufacturing Company, Mr. Swanson taking charge of the retail part of the concern. A few years later he purchased this part of the business, which he continued until the time of his death, and which is now conducted under the firm name of A. Swanson & Son. Mr. Swanson was married December 3, 1850. to Oliva Olsen, daughter of Hokan and Hannah Olsen, who came to America in 1854, locating first at St. Charles, 111., coming in 1855 to Red AA r ing. Here Mr. Olsen followed his trade as cabinetmaker. He died in 1897 aged 87 years. Mrs. Olsen died in 1856. Mrs. Andrew Swanson is now living. In