Historical Marker · No. 685
'Ol Spot Mortimer's Cabin
Brookings County · South Dakota
Erected by Descendants of L.K. Larsen, 1999
The cabin has outlasted every other building of its decade in the county. In 2018 it was counted the oldest structure in Brookings County, listed on the National Register of Historic Places the year before. The park had stripped siding and interior rooms added by later owners around 1972, and in 2018 a Minnesota contractor straightened a west wall that had bowed inward, replaced log sections rotted where someone had once poured concrete inside them, and renewed the chinking, for about $26,000, half of it from a Deadwood historic preservation grant.
What the plaque says
'Ol Spot Mortimer's Cabin This log cabin stands on the original site where it was constructed in 1869 by Samuel "Ol Spot" Mortimer. Mortimer, a shoemaker from New York, came to Dakota Territory after hearing stories of the rich fur trade in the Big Sioux Valley. In 1869, he found his way to Oakwood Lakes and discovered a trapper's paradise. Otter, beaver, mink, muskrat and fox were abundant. Mortimer built this cabin and lived here for the next five years. By 1874, Mortimer experienced declining harvests from his traplines. Turning his attention to the area's valuable timber, he built a sawmill and played an important role in providing the lumber for building houses and area businesses. After the death of his wife, Mortimer left Oakwood Lakes and moved to Yankton, Dakota Territory. It was there he re-married, and soon returned to the cabin with his new wife and her children. They later made plans to sell the land. A warranty deed, dated October 20, 1886, records the sale of 1,200 acres of Mortimer land for $1,800 to Solomon Walters. Today, Mortimer's Oakwood Lakes homestead site stands as a reminder of the early settlers who ventured bravely into the new Dakota frontier. Erected to honor area Scandinavian immigrant families Hansen, Larsen, and Rasmussen by descendants of L.K. Larsen.
Where it stands
44.45501, -96.99032 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Significant Site — 0.3 mi
- Oakwood Lakes Burial Mounds — 0.4 mi
- Oakwood Lakes State Park — 0.9 mi
- Oakwood 1877-1894 — 2.5 mi