Olaf Mattson came to the United States from Sweden in 1861 at the age of twenty. He learned the trade of stonemason and migrated west. In 1882, he set out on horseback from Dakota for Montana. After his traveling companions were killed in a conflict with Indians, Mattson pushed on alone to homestead in the Yellowstone Valley. He married Swedish-born Mary Elason in 1886. The couple raised four daughters while Mattson farmed and operated a lime kiln business. The family moved into town in 1901, settling here where many of the neighbors shared the Mattsons’ Scandinavian heritage. Under Mattson’s skillful eye, a frame dwelling that stood on the lot before 1891 was likely incorporated into the present Queen Anne style brick home. Decorative bargeboards, stained glass, and a corner porch with turned posts and spindle railings preserve the home’s period ambiance. The stone stable Mattson built behind the house remains today, converted to a residence. A .44 caliber bullet hole in the metal finial at the roof’s peak and another near the front door are souvenirs of either a past celebration or a skirmish.
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