The Anderson and Nerland families were Norwegian immigrants who worked as successful painters, decorators, contractors, and suppliers in Seattle and across the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. Jonas and Olina Anderson came to the US in 1870 and moved to Seattle in 1873 and 1875 with their children Anton, Louis, Emil, Herman, Thea, Mary, and twins Andrew and Sophie. In 1880 and 1888 Maren Nerland, who went by the Americanized name Amanda, and her brother Andrew Nerland came to the US, originally settling in Minnesota and then moving to Seattle in 1889. Amanda Nerland and Andrew Anderson married in 1891 and had five children.

The Anderson brothers launched multiple business ventures, which included traveling to Guatemala to open a store in 1896 and going to Dawson to join the Klondike Gold Rush with Andrew Nerland in 1897 and 1898. Although they had little success in finding gold, they established Anderson Bros. & Nerland, a painting and contracting business, which became known for following miners during the rush to each new gold strike. While Andrew Nerland and the Anderson brothers were in Alaska their families stayed in Seattle, visiting on alternating years. Amanda moved with her children between Dawson, Fairbanks, and Seattle multiple times until Andrew Anderson sold his interest in the stores in 1913 and returned to Seattle to work on a smaller scale. In 1922 Andrew Nerland bought out the other Anderson brothers and had success running the company, becoming one of the founders of what would become the University of Alaska and serving in the Alaska Legislature.