Elgin teen, history buff works to preserve city's past

Sam Olson has always been an observant person.

His ability to absorb and interpret the world around him and communicate his discoveries to an audience won the 16-year-old Elgin High School junior an Elgin Image Award nomination last spring.

It's also made him an unofficial Elgin historian.

“I lived here my whole life,” he said. “I grew up with a big family. We'd always be out and about. I started noticing historic places.”

He'd stop to examine plaques, statues and memorials. That led to Internet searches for more information. And that led to Olson taking out his camera and getting his finds on film.

He was 14 when he began delving into Elgin's past.

“I just went out with my camera and took a bunch of pictures with my mom,” he said. “I love the culture in Elgin. We have an international festival where we welcome all different people.”

Then he produced his first video, showing panoramas of Elgin, at all times of the day, set to music.

“I put it on YouTube. I put it on a Facebook group,” he said.

Word began to spread about his Elgin exploits, promoting the city's river views, architecture, natural beauty and its people.

The first video got 1,000 views.

“To me it was like a million,” said Olson, who admits he was surprised to find that teachers, longtime residents, even city leaders were interested in his work.

Former Elgin resident Kim Toth, who lives in Tennessee but retains an interest in Elgin, saw the video. The two began a correspondence and a partnership and began working on another video about Elgin.

The resulting video, “A Salute to Elgin Veterans,” was nominated for an Elgin Image Award in March.

Olson said he and Toth plan to continue honoring active duty and military veterans with videos that give the local military community a place to connect and learn about their fellow military families.

“Twice a year, we put out a video. We ask the community to send us pictures,” Olson said.

Olson has done videos on a variety of the city's historical sites for his YouTube channel, River Bluff Studios.

He has done some video work chronicling Elgin's historical Watch Factory.

“It was the biggest mass production of watches, at the time,” he said.

He's also produced videos about parks, holiday celebrations, car shows and events at the Elgin History Museum, where he is a volunteer.

And there are videos of the Elgin High School marching band, in which Olson plays clarinet.

“Music has always been a big part of my life,” he said.

Coming up later this month, Olson said he plans to release a video documentary about the Elgin Observatory, currently used as the Elgin Area School District U-46 planetarium. He said he is working on the piece with the school district's cooperation. A promotional trailer is available on YouTube.

Olson said he likes combining his affection for his hometown with his passion for history. His college plans haven't yet crystallized, but he's leaning toward a career that involves history, architecture and/or film.

“I knew I wanted to do something with my life that had to do with history,” he said.