Archives West Finding Aid

Charles Oluf Olsen was born in Lyngby, Denmark in 1872. Olsen immigrated to the United States in 1888 at the age of sixteen. After arriving in America, Olsen worked as an iron workers' apprentice in New York and traveled the country working as a blacksmith, lumberjack, and other term labor and service industry positions. Olsen arrived in Oregon around 1899. During the 1920s, Olsen transitioned his career to professional writing, becoming a freelance author and poet. He wrote a feature series for the Oregonian newspaper that highlighted Oregon industries. Olsen also wrote technical articles related to the lumber trade and blacksmithing, fictional short stories, and poetry that appeared in multiple regional and national publications. Much of his literary work drew from his background as a laborer and explores working class experiences. During the 1930s, Olsen worked for the Federal Writers' Project on a project to document the history of Milwaukie, Oregon. Olsen's surname appears as Olson on some official documents and publications. Olsen also published some works under the pseudonym D. A. Lund.

Olsen married Elizabeth Thompson, a fellow author and poet, in 1922. He died in Portland in 1959.

Sources: Howe, Faye, "Hand That Hammered Anvil Now Hammers Typewriter," Oregonian, December 5, 1926; "Man Adopts New Vocation After Passing Age of 50," Oregonian, November 15, 1925; "Death Takes Oregon Poet," Oregonian, June 23, 1959.