Page 14 - Hillview_book

The Olson Hillview Greenhouse
GROWING A DREAM
By Cole Nelson, La Crosse Public Library Archives Intern
In the fall of 1987, Joel and Jean Olson fulfilled a dream of owning and running a green- house by purchasing the Hillview Greenhouse from the Jones family. Joel quit his job as an electrician to focus on the then 75-year-old greenhouse, while Jean kept her job and
continued producing art commissions for the first two years. Joel and Jean did extensive re- search, reading up on gardening and greenhouses at the library, while Lois Jones taught him to plant and cut flowers.
The greenhouses were exceptionally well-built and strong. The Olsons later increased the billable space by 60 percent through the addition of shelves built upward over the existing tables. In the early 1990s, they added two Quonset huts to the north of the facility, bringing
Joel and Jean Olson enjoyed their time running Hillview Greenhouse from 1987 to 2007. They also contributed greatly to getting the next stage of the Hillview Greenhouse off the ground and successfully running. Here, Joel gives advice on April 20, 2009, to resi- dents of The Willows assisted living center on planting herb seeds for the center’s May 29 rummage sale.
THE LA CROSSE AREA’S GROWING EXPERIENCE past | present | future
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1987–2007
Photo: Dick Riniker, La Crosse Tribune