The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 217

OSCAR R. STRAND.

For twelve years Oscar R. Strand has been a resident of the Yakima valley,
having come here in 1907, and he now is the owner of a twenty-four acre ranch,
twelve of which are in orchard. His labors here have been attended with success
and he is today a prosperous horticulturist of his neighborhood. A native of
Chicago, Illinois, he was born March 2, 1880, and is a son of Ole and Madeline
(Thompson) Strand, natives of Norway, who came to the United States many years
ago. For a number of years the father worked for wages but later was engaged in
the express business in Chicago.

Oscar R. Strand was reared under the parental roof and received his early
education in the public schools of the metropolis on the lakes, but at the
early age of fourteen started out for himself. He not only worked, on farms but
also taught school, from which fact it is evident that he improved his,
education to a considerable extent, although the opportunities offered him were
Meager. In 1902 he came to Yakima county, Washington, where he worked for a
year, at the end of which period he went to Iowa. In 1907, however, he again
took up his residence in the Yakima valley, working at first for wages. He then
operated rented land until 1918, when he bought sixteen acres of land, having
previously, in 1915, purchased eight acres. Thus he today owns twenty-four
acres, twelve of which is in orchard, while the remainder is devoted to alfalfa
and under the plow. There is great credit due Mr. Strand for what he has
achieved, as he has worked up from the bottom and therefore is entitled to the
proud American title of a self-made man.

Mr. Strand married Miss Nellie Forrest, a daughter of Eben U. and Clara
(Selfies) Forrest, who are mentioned at greater length on other pages of this
work. To this union has been born a son, Forrest Le Roy, whose birth occurred
March 29, 1909.

Mr. Strand is prominent in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having filled
all the chairs in the subordinate lodge, while he also is a member of the Grand
Lodge and has served as a delegate to the same. He belongs to the Christian
church, in the work of which he is helpfully interested, and politically is a
republican. Fully realizing the importance of irrigation and drainage, he has
closely studied that subject and at this writing is ably serving as supervisor
of drainage district No. 15.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.