History
of Fogelbo
Welcome to Fogelbo, 8740 SW Oleson Road, Portland, Oregon. The following information is to give a brief history of Fogelbo and its past and present owners.
Nestled in the mature trees along Oleson Road is an unassuming placed called Fogelbo -- in Swedish, the term means "bird nest", and is derived from the Fogelquist family name. A sweeping drive takes you to a finely crafted log home, rustic but not without charm and clearly loved.
The log structure was built between 1938 and 1940. A Swedish couple, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Olson, had the home built by Henry Steiner, one of the chief carpenters of the historic Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. The President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated Timberline, a National Historic Monument, in 1937.
The concept of the log house was brought to America by the first Swedish colonists, who established their colony, "New Sweden", in 1638. In later years the colony was absorbed by the Dutch and later by the English. The knowledge of log house construction was disseminated throughout the colonies and later throughout the whole country.
In 1972 another house was added to the estate. Carl Hansen of Danish descent built the house in the 1920's. The house serves now as a shop and storage area.
The third owners were Charles and Jessie Fogelquist, who did extensive work on the site and the house from 1952 until 1979. Washington County designated Fogelbo as a historical site in 1989.
The Fogelquist family has its roots in the town of Mora, in Dalarna, Sweden. In the 1800's the Fogelquists were wealthy land proprietors. "Brucksdisponet" Magnus Christian Fogelquist bought the beautiful estate "Christinaberg" in 1850 after having owned estates in Southern Sweden. His wife was Ann Greta Lyckholm, whose family owned and operated the largest breweries in Sweden the 1800's. Their grandson, Fredrik Christian Fogelquist immigrated to the United States in 1891. He was a highly skilled craftsman who constructed numerous pieces of furniture and decorative items. A number of these items can be found at Fogelbo today. He was an active educator at Selah High School in Washington for twenty-eight years. Later he was an instructor at the Perry Institute in Yakima, Washington. Charles Fogelquist, his son, was a forester and in later years the chief road engineer for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. His wife, Jessie Taylor, was a piano teacher for 25 years. Their son, Ross, was a German teacher and foreign student advisor in the Evergreen School District in Vancouver, Washington.
The Swedish King, Carl the XVI, in 1985, knighted Ross Fogelquist the title of Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star first class, due to his many achievements on behalf of Sweden and Scandinavia. Ross Fogelquist served as acting Swedish consul for Oregon in 1993, and again between 1999 - 2001. He now serves as Assistant Consul for the Swedish Consulate. Ross Fogelquist has received numerous awards locally and nationally for his contributions to the Scandinavian culture. He is a member and officer of many Swedish, German, Austrian, and Scandinavian organizations.
Fogelbo has hosted many guests and groups from all parts of the world, particularly from Germany and Scandinavia. Foreign diplomats, nobility, concert arts, musicians, scientists, writers, composers, folk dancers, exchange students, choirs, educators, plus many ethnic groups from the Pacific Northwest have been guests of the Fogelquist family.
The house of Fogelbo is home for many European and American artifacts and artifacts. The how has been featured often in newspapers, magazines and on local television. 1500- 2000 guests pass through the house and grounds annually.