In 1855 a wagon train of settlers from Muskego, Wisconsin, arrived in Eureka Township in Dakota County, Minnesota. Martin Ruh, who would later become a pastor, wrote of that land,

“The first thing we had to do was to clear away the almost impenetrable underbrush so as to make room for the wagons and the other things we had brought along.”

That land is now the site of Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center. If Pastor Ruh and his fellow settlers were to visit the site today, they would be amazed at what has grown up in the midst of woods, wetlands, prairie grasses and “impenetrable underbrush.” The land, which at first seemed so inhospitable for farming, now serves as a perfect environment for walking trails and cross country ski trails, as well as a comfortable place for personal growth, and a congenial place for meeting and fellowship.

In 1976, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church purchased the Lewis O. Olson farm - 150 acres of rolling land which curls up along the shores of Chub Lake - as part of a creative vision to host a nearby retreat center. The vision became a blessed reality in the fall of 1976 when the Ruth Youngdahl Lodge was dedicated. It wasn’t too long before the Ruth Cornell House was added to provide comfortable accommodations and recreational facilities for Conference and Retreat Center guests.