Ole Synsteby, born in Lesja, Gulbrandsdalen, Norway, came with his family to the Lake Hanska area in the summer of 1873 and in 1879 purchased the land that later became Lake Hanska County Park. A simple, humble, and caring man who loved nature and other people, he sought to share the beauty of the lakeshore through trees and plantings, transforming the prairie landscape with beloved trees, many of which still stood in the park, and was said to be able to make an evergreen grow anywhere. He searched the woods of northern Minnesota for trees to plant and invited others to enjoy the flowers, plants, animals, birds, and sunsets around Lake Hanska. He also served the community as county commissioner from 1899 to 1903, mayor of the Village of Hanska, and a columnist for the Hanska Herald. Fort Hill Park opened to the public in the summer of 1904, when fireworks, refreshments, boat races, and baseball games drew hundreds of area residents, and in 1907 and 1908 picnics were held there every Sunday. The amusement park was dismantled in 1927, and although the idea arose as early as 1928 that the Fort Hill area should someday be overseen by a public or civic body, that did not become reality until 1975 with Brown County's development of Lake Hanska County Park. In his 1933 writings, Ole recalled standing on top of the Big Hill on his future farm in 1872 and seeing vast plains stretching south and north as far as he could see, with no houses and almost no trees, framed by nearby woods and brush hills. Lake Hanska County Park includes 140 acres, 10,000 feet of shoreline, and several miles of hiking and ski trails, and Lake Hanska has a surface area of approximately 1,800 acres.