The first known building (in what was to become Sparling and then Camrose) was the home of Ole Bakken. He came to Camrose in 1893 from Norway via North Dakota and Wisconsin. He settled on a quarter section of land and built a log house with a sod roof, just north of Stoney Creek (now known as Mirror Lake). He sold his homestead in 1904 and built the Arlington Hotel across from the CPR station. Ole lived in his house until 1905, when he moved to Banff. He is buried in the Wang Cemetery north of Wetaskiwin near the shores of Coal Lake. A replica of his log home can be seen at the Camrose Centennial Museum.