Bergman, Hans.  "History of Scandinavians in Tacoma and Pierce County with brief
history of Tacoma and early settlement."  Tacoma, WA, 1926. pp. 104-105.

John Peter Bolander,

Born in Havdhem on Gotland, Sweden, January 3, 1848. His father died when he was
twelve years of age, and two years later he left home to shift for himself and
make his own living. After having had various kinds of employment in and near
his birthplace he left for America in 1869, coming to Kansas City, Kansas. After
staying there a short time he decided to go West to hunt his fortune, and came
to San Francisco, and from there went by boat to Portland, Oregon. In 1872 he
engaged  in railroad construction work from Kalama to Tacoma for the Northern
Pacific. After the road was completed to Tacoma in 1873 he entered the operating
department, first as fireman, from which position he was promoted to Locomotive
engineer. All told, he was in different capacities   running on that road for
sixteen years. He brought in on his train from Kalama, Wash., the first wheat
making up the first cargo of grain to leave the Puget Sound country. This ship
was loaded in Tacoma. After leaving the service of the N.P. railroad, he entered
the service of Park System of Tacoma, and for eighteen years has been park
foreman, most of this time in Lincoln Park near which he lives in a fine
residence with his family. Besides his residence he owns considerable property
in Tacoma. Mr. Bolander was married in 1881 to Miss Jennie Burke, who was born
in Clark County in 1859. She is the daughter of the well known James Burke, who
came to Oregon in 1852 by ox team over the Oregon Trail, and was a member of the
first territorial legislature of Washington and was one of the farmers of the
state constitution. Mrs. Bolander spent her youth in pioneer days of then
ìOregon Country.î They are both well liked and have a large number of friends.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in September 2005 by Teressa Lenkey.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.