This well to do and enterprising farmer of Nez Perces County is richly deserving of consideration in this volume of his County’s history since he has labored faithfully and deservingly in this section for its improvement and up building, maintaining meanwhile a good reputation and doing good work on his estate of three hundred and twenty acres, four miles southwest from Genesee, where he operates a first class farm in a commendable manner.
He was born in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in May, 1859, being the son of Andrew and Tona (Olson) Christenson, natives of Norway, but immigrants to Wisconsin in 1854, where the father engaged in farming and the mercantile pursuit. He wrought there until the time of his death, which occurred in 1884. The mother died in 1888 in Latah County; whither she had gone to live with her children.
At the age of seventeen our subject came to the west, landing in Walla Walla in the centennial year. Two years were spent in lumbering and then he went to Nez Perces County and took a homestead and timber claim one and one half miles distant from his present abode. He afterward sold the improvements on these places and returned to Walla Walla to lumber in the Cascade and Blue mountains. For five years he followed this stirring industry and then in 1884 bought back one of the places he sold; then, having married, he settled down on their present place, which was given to his wife by her father. Thus our subject is handling one half section of land and gains abundant returns of crops, while he also pays considerable attention to raising stock, being successful in both lines of industry.
On July 14, 1881, at Lewiston, Idaho, Mr. Christenson married Miss Johana, a native of Wisconsin and daughter of Benjamin and Johana Thompson, natives of Norway. To this happy marriage there have been born three children, Emma E., Clarence E., and Harvey G. Mr. Thompson came west with his family in 1878, his wife having died in Wisconsin in 1859, being buried in Winnebago County, and here he homesteaded the place where our subject now lives, and at the time of his death, which occurred on October 16, 1884, he gave the farm to Mrs. Christenson. His remains were buried in the Genesee cemetery; he was a good man and a patriotic citizen.
Mr. Christenson is a member of the W. of W., Grenadier Lodge No. 240. He has served for fourteen years on the school board, also as road supervisor and is one of the substantial and prominent men of his section, being highly esteemed and manifesting those qualities of worth that characterize the true man and the loyal.
Source: An Illustrated History of North Idaho: Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho; Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903