Brandon in Minnehaha County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Nels Nelson Graff Cabin

February 23, 2024

1. Nels Nelson Graff Cabin Marker

Inscription. After acquiring a quarter section of land in 1870 through the Homestead Act of 1862, Nels Nelson (N.N.) Graff and his wife Elise, Scandinavian immigrants, built a dugout where they lived the first three years. In 1873, Nels built the first permanent wooden-structured home in Brandon Township prior to the village of Brandon being platted in 1878. By using the bur oaks growing along Split Rock Creek, Nels built the 14-by-17 foot log cabin with a basement, a loft above the main floor, and a shingled roof located about 1,450 feet north northeast of here. They and their four sons Martin (1871), Adolph aka A.N. (1874), twins Elius and Neil (1881) lived in the log home. Elise died hours after giving birth to the twins. Throughout the years, their descendants lived in and built around the log home located on its original red-rock foundation. The last resident was Carol Anderson Williams, whose mother, Oral Graff, was the granddaughter of A.N. Graff. In 2002 Dale Ellens, great great-grandson of Nils Olsen who was Nels' father, purchased the lot and the home. After exploring several options of preserving the cabin, he gifted it to

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

the Brandon Historical Society in 2016. The City of Brandon permitted the Society to move the cabin here at Pioneer Park, which is on the southern part of the land Nels homesteaded in 1870.

Major Donors:
Alliance Communications
Mary Chilton DAR Foundation
Mary Ode Stoller Memorial
Midwest Railcar Repair
Prairie Rose Community Foundation
Sally Graff Memorial
Sioux Valley Energy

Erected 2020 by the Brandon Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.

Location. 43° 35.814′ N, 96° 33.96′ W. Marker is in Brandon, South Dakota, in Minnehaha County. It can be reached from East Custer Parkway east of East Sylvan Circle, on the left when traveling east. Located in Pioneer Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1709 E Sylvan Cir, Brandon SD 57005, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River

and in Greater Sioux Falls.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and

February 23, 2024

2. Nels Nelson Graff Cabin & Marker

on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The City of Brandon (approx. 0.6 miles away); Brandon Veteran's Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); McHardy Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); Split Rock Creek Tragedy (approx. 0.7 miles away); Fur Trapper Ambush (approx. 0.7 miles away); Brandon School (approx. one mile away); 1916 Brandon School (approx. one mile away); Bergeson’s Homestead (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brandon.

Also see . . . Little house in the park: Historical Society to unveil restored cabin | Brandon Valley Journal. (Submitted on March 5, 2024.)

Nels Nelson Graff Cabin image. Click for full size.

February 23, 2024

3. Nels Nelson Graff Cabin

Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2024. This page has been viewed 718 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 5, 2024.