Student Exhibit: Olof Nylander, 1864 - 1943
written in 2005/2006 by an eighth grader at New Sweden School
Olof Olson Nylander was born on the 14th of June in 1864 in Ysted, Sweden. In 1883, Nylander left his life in Sweden to come to the United States where he started working as a painter. He first worked in Massachusetts, then Florida, then Rhode Island.
Eventually, Olof was taken in by the United States Geological Survey as a field collector. He was also employed by the Canadian government and several colleges and universities to do this same type of work or to act as a guide.
Nylander was awarded an Honorary Master of Science degree in 1938 for his years of service by the University of Maine at Orono.
The following year, the Nylander Museum was dedicated to Olof in Caribou, Maine. He directed this museum until he died on July 29, 1943 in Caribou, Maine.
In years past, museums such as the Smithsonian Museum and the National Museum of Canada have wanted part of the original Nylander collection for their own. The collection has stayed amazingly intact and a large part of it is on permanent display at the Nylander Museum in Caribou.
As a published scientist, Olof Nylander is a very important part of our local history, He contributed much to our understanding of the natural history of the Swedish Colony and the surrounding Aroostook County communities. He dedicated most of his life to working in wetlands, especially in Maine, studying and looking for new mollusks and exploring new places. Nylander surveyed and cataloged much of Maine and his work is still effecting our lives today.
Thank you to the Nylander Museum for showing our class your wonderful resources and allowing us to work with copies of your archives.
Work Cited
www.nylandermuseum.org/History.htm, 6/25/06
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