Veteran Portland Builder Dies At 94 Years of Age
Knut Gabriel Lundstrom, who left his native Sweden to follow contracting in South Africa, gold mining in Alaska and carve a local reputation as a builder in Oregon, died in Portland. He was 94.
Mr. Lundstrom was principal contractor for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Fair, the former Wells Fargo Building (now the U.S. Nation Bank office building) in Portland, the reservoirs in Washington Park, the Stockton St. Tunnel in San Francisco and his company laid the foundations for the present Multnomah County Courthouse. In addition he built roads, bridges and sewers throughout the Northwest.
He was born in Kalmar, Sweden, May 16, 1869. In 1892 he went to South Africa, where he was a contractor. While there he witnessed the trial of Sir Cecil Rhodes on charges growing out of the famous Jameson Raid during the Boer War.
He returned to Sweden to regain health following a siege of malaria and planned to return to Africa. But a letter from an uncle, Per Otto Lundin an early day contractor in Portland, changed all that.
Instead of Africa, Mr. Lunstrom sailed to America, arriving in Portland in 1900. He spent two summers panning gold on the beach and in the Penny River in Alaska, returned in 1901 to Seattle where he worked for a time for the Army Engineers before settling in Portland in 1903. He set up as a general contractor and in 1903 married the former Miss Heldegard Allmen, daughter of a pioneer Portland family.
He retired in 1931. At the time of his death he was a director of West Coast Steel Works, Portland.
He is survived by four sons, Alexis A., Sparta, N.J., Philip B., Seattle, John G., Portland and Vincent K. Lundstrom, Redding, Calif. 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Finley’s Chapel. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
[The Oregonian, 28 Jul 1963, p31; w/photo]
Knut Gabriel Lundstrom, who left his native Sweden to follow contracting in South Africa, gold mining in Alaska and carve a local reputation as a builder in Oregon, died in Portland. He was 94.
Mr. Lundstrom was principal contractor for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Fair, the former Wells Fargo Building (now the U.S. Nation Bank office building) in Portland, the reservoirs in Washington Park, the Stockton St. Tunnel in San Francisco and his company laid the foundations for the present Multnomah County Courthouse. In addition he built roads, bridges and sewers throughout the Northwest.
He was born in Kalmar, Sweden, May 16, 1869. In 1892 he went to South Africa, where he was a contractor. While there he witnessed the trial of Sir Cecil Rhodes on charges growing out of the famous Jameson Raid during the Boer War.
He returned to Sweden to regain health following a siege of malaria and planned to return to Africa. But a letter from an uncle, Per Otto Lundin an early day contractor in Portland, changed all that.
Instead of Africa, Mr. Lunstrom sailed to America, arriving in Portland in 1900. He spent two summers panning gold on the beach and in the Penny River in Alaska, returned in 1901 to Seattle where he worked for a time for the Army Engineers before settling in Portland in 1903. He set up as a general contractor and in 1903 married the former Miss Heldegard Allmen, daughter of a pioneer Portland family.
He retired in 1931. At the time of his death he was a director of West Coast Steel Works, Portland.
He is survived by four sons, Alexis A., Sparta, N.J., Philip B., Seattle, John G., Portland and Vincent K. Lundstrom, Redding, Calif. 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Finley’s Chapel. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
[The Oregonian, 28 Jul 1963, p31; w/photo]
Veteran Portland Builder Dies At 94 Years of Age
Knut Gabriel Lundstrom, who left his native Sweden to follow contracting in South Africa, gold mining in Alaska and carve a local reputation as a builder in Oregon, died in Portland. He was 94.
Mr. Lundstrom was principal contractor for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Fair, the former Wells Fargo Building (now the U.S. Nation Bank office building) in Portland, the reservoirs in Washington Park, the Stockton St. Tunnel in San Francisco and his company laid the foundations for the present Multnomah County Courthouse. In addition he built roads, bridges and sewers throughout the Northwest.
He was born in Kalmar, Sweden, May 16, 1869. In 1892 he went to South Africa, where he was a contractor. While there he witnessed the trial of Sir Cecil Rhodes on charges growing out of the famous Jameson Raid during the Boer War.
He returned to Sweden to regain health following a siege of malaria and planned to return to Africa. But a letter from an uncle, Per Otto Lundin an early day contractor in Portland, changed all that.
Instead of Africa, Mr. Lunstrom sailed to America, arriving in Portland in 1900. He spent two summers panning gold on the beach and in the Penny River in Alaska, returned in 1901 to Seattle where he worked for a time for the Army Engineers before settling in Portland in 1903. He set up as a general contractor and in 1903 married the former Miss Heldegard Allmen, daughter of a pioneer Portland family.
He retired in 1931. At the time of his death he was a director of West Coast Steel Works, Portland.
He is survived by four sons, Alexis A., Sparta, N.J., Philip B., Seattle, John G., Portland and Vincent K. Lundstrom, Redding, Calif. 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Finley’s Chapel. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
[The Oregonian, 28 Jul 1963, p31; w/photo]
Knut Gabriel Lundstrom, who left his native Sweden to follow contracting in South Africa, gold mining in Alaska and carve a local reputation as a builder in Oregon, died in Portland. He was 94.
Mr. Lundstrom was principal contractor for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Fair, the former Wells Fargo Building (now the U.S. Nation Bank office building) in Portland, the reservoirs in Washington Park, the Stockton St. Tunnel in San Francisco and his company laid the foundations for the present Multnomah County Courthouse. In addition he built roads, bridges and sewers throughout the Northwest.
He was born in Kalmar, Sweden, May 16, 1869. In 1892 he went to South Africa, where he was a contractor. While there he witnessed the trial of Sir Cecil Rhodes on charges growing out of the famous Jameson Raid during the Boer War.
He returned to Sweden to regain health following a siege of malaria and planned to return to Africa. But a letter from an uncle, Per Otto Lundin an early day contractor in Portland, changed all that.
Instead of Africa, Mr. Lunstrom sailed to America, arriving in Portland in 1900. He spent two summers panning gold on the beach and in the Penny River in Alaska, returned in 1901 to Seattle where he worked for a time for the Army Engineers before settling in Portland in 1903. He set up as a general contractor and in 1903 married the former Miss Heldegard Allmen, daughter of a pioneer Portland family.
He retired in 1931. At the time of his death he was a director of West Coast Steel Works, Portland.
He is survived by four sons, Alexis A., Sparta, N.J., Philip B., Seattle, John G., Portland and Vincent K. Lundstrom, Redding, Calif. 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Finley’s Chapel. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
[The Oregonian, 28 Jul 1963, p31; w/photo]
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