Samstad Cabin

The artifacts in the Meeker County Museum come in all shapes and sizes, but by far the largest artifact is the log cabin. The cabin was originally built in Acton Township (about ten miles west of Litchfield) in 1868 by John Blomberg. He was a Civil War veteran and later a member of the Litchfield G.A.R. About a year after building the cabin, Blomberg married Lena Peterson. The couple would have nine children and later move west in 1889.

A look inside the Samstad Cabin

The next residents of the land and cabin was Albert Brown and his family, followed by newlyweds Ole and Mollie (Qvello) Fuglem who probably rented from Brown. The land transferred from the Browns to Olaus and Sigrid Samstad in 1907. The Samstads and eight of their ten children soon called the cabin home. The couple had three more children. In 1923, the family built a new home on their land.

In 1961, an additional was added to the G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield. It would be home to the Meeker County Historical Society and its exhibits. Sometime that summer, the Society and Samstad heirs began discussing moving the cabin to the museum. The Society agreed to accept the cabin in June 1961 and allocated $350 to its relocation. Curator Charles Ness and Society President J.D. Atkinson were in charge of moving the building.

In October, the cabin was dismantled log by log. In fact, you can still see the numbers that were written on the logs to make reassembly easier. Despite the planning, disassembly didn’t go quite as smoothly as they might have hoped. The cabin had sat empty for years, and a swarm of bees had made their way inside. Local bee expert Shorty Wolters was called in to remove the bees and the 600 pounds of honey he found in the roof.

The cabin was formally presented to the Museum on November 15, 1961 by Sabin, Irene, and Arthur Samstad. Along with the cabin, the family donated several items that had been used in the cabin including several kitchen items, a rocking chair, and cabinet bed. Over the years, other Samstad items have also been donated, including several of the children’s toys.

Just a few years ago, a few more Samstad items were donated to the museum and added to the cabin. One of the items was a mystery, even to the family members who donated it. With a bit of research, we were able to determine the small wooden box with sliding lid was a candle safe. Many of the candles used by pioneers were made out of tallow, or animal fat. When not in use, the candles would have been kept in the safe to keep them away from mice and other pests.

At the museum, the cabin is setup so visitors can step inside and get a glimpse of pioneer life, over 100 years in the making! The museum and all of its exhibits are open Tuesday to Friday from 10-4 and Saturday from 12-4.