OSLO
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OSLO |
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NAME: Oslo COUNTY: Indian River County ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: warm most of the year, moderate to cold in winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime |
COMMENTS:
Located near the intersection of Oslo Road (CR 606) and US1, just north of south county line. Oslo Cemetery is nearby on Old Dixie Highway. REMAINS: Oslo Citrus Growers Association packing house, Oslo Cemetery, Hallstrom Farmstead, a few old houses |
| Oslo began as Crawford's Point, established and populated by Scandinavian immigrants. The town was renamed Oslo in honor of the capitol of Norway. A prominent early settler was Axel Hallstrom, who came to the area in 1904. He acquired land and planted 100,000 pineapple plants. Hallstrom also constructed an impressive two story brick house, the Hallstrom Farmstead. In 1914 Waldo Sexton established his own citrus company and packinghouse, the Oslo Packing Company. At one point the town had a post office, school, and was a flag stop on the Florida East Coast Railroad. The pineapple industry collapsed after World War One, and the Great Depression dealt the area a heavy blow, wiping out many local businesses. Today Sexton's operation, now known as Oslo Citrus Growers Association, is the only business in town still active, and the oldest operating packing house on the Florida East Coast. Axel Hallstrom's farmstead is now owned and under renovation by the Indian River County Historical Society. Submitted by: Jim Pike |
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