This collection contains oral histories pertaining to life and events in Grant County, Minnesota. The oral histories range greatly in topic and time period.
The digitization of these oral histories was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Any views, findings, opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Historical Society, or the Minnesota Historic Resources Advisory Committee.
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Alfred Schaeffer Interivew, 1972
Alfred Schaeffer
Alfred Schaeffer was born in 1895 three miles south of the village of Pomme de Terre. His parents came from Goodhue County to Grant County in 1872.
In this interview, Alfred Schaeffer talks about his early neighbors and teachers. He discusses the history of his grandfather who was a miller in the village of Pomme de Terre. He discusses the railroads and how they surveyed the village.
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Elaine C. Schaeffer Interview, 1975
Elaine C. Schaeffer
Elaine Schaeffer was born in Pomme de Terre Village on February 16, 1903. She attended country school and graduated from Elbow Lake High School. In 1924, she received her B.A. in history from Macalester College in St. Paul and in 1930 she completed her requirements for a M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her retirement to Elbow Lake in 1953, she was associated with a number of educational institutions in a variety of capacities. Those positions were: high school instructor in Mapleton MN (1924-25); assistant high school principal and instructor in Dickenson, N.D. (1930-1934); high school principal in Lasson, MN (1934-36); head of the history department and dean of women at Elgin Academy and Junior College in Elgin, Illinois (1936-45), dean of women, summer session, University of Montana (1945), College preparatory counselor at Milwaukee City Day School for Boys (1945-53). From 1953 to the time of the interview, she was the secretary for the Grant County Historical Society.
In this interview, Elaine Schaeffer discusses the history of Pomme de Terre, the Schaeffer family history and her reminiscences of her early life, as well as her experiences in the field of education.
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John Scharf Interview, 1975
John Scharf
John Scharf was born on October 30, 1929 in Minneapolis. He graduated from Washburn High School, Minneapolis and went on to get his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Minnesota. He worked with the Minnesota DNR as the Fish and Wildlife Manager from 1960 until the time of the interview, and he had lived and worked in Morris since 1960.
In this interview, John Scharf discusses the acquisition of the Helsene Prairie land by the DNR and the history and objectives of its management. Some topics include planting that has been done, control of hunting, changes in wildlife populations and future plans.
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Vern Schendel Interview, ca. 1977
Vern Schendel
Rev. Vern Schendel was 62 years old and was born in Renville County, Minnesota.
In this interview, he talks about he came to Norcross and helped develop the church there. He discusses the 40th anniversary of his marriage and the 40th appointment in the Norcross United Methodist Charge.
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Victor Setterland Interview, 1973
Victor Setterland
Victor Setterland was born on February 3, 1888 in a dugout in Erdahl Township and continued to live there all of his life.
In this interview, Victor talks about how his parents came to Grant County in the spring of 1884. He tells about when his father bought the land where supposedly the mysterious town of Belview once stood. There were once a few dugouts on the spot. The town has never been mentioned except on a 1858 government survey of Grant County.
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George M. Shervey Interview, 1980
George Shervey
In this interview, George M. Shervey discusses life in and around Barrett, MN during World War II. Mr. Shervey was born October 18, 1904 in Barrett, MN and during the war as a farm implement dealer and also chief of the Barrett Fire Department.
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George Shervey Interview, 1975
George Shervey
George Shervey was born on a farm near Barrett, Minnesota on October 18, 1904. He was involved in the business of farm implement sales from 1924 until his retirement in 1972. He was active in civic and community affairs, maintaining an interest in local history. During the time of this interview, he was the president of the Grant County Historical Society.
In this interview, George Shervey discusses the contest between Elbow Lake and Herman for the county seat and courthouse.
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Henry Thornberg Interview, 1974
George Shervey
Henry Thornberg was born on January 3, 1891 in Sanford Township of Grant County, where his parents had immigrated in 1888. He was drafted on July 23, 1918 at the age of 26 into World War I.
In this interview, Henry Thornberg tells some of his life history and his experiences in World War I.
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Walter L. Smedley Interview, 1975
Walter L. Smedley and Gladys M. Smedley
Walter Smedley was born in 1885 in Illinois. He moved to a farm near Norcross, Minnesota with his family in 1902. He returned to Illinois a few years later, to attend a veterinary school in Chicago. When Walter Smedley graduated in 1912, he came to Herman, Minnesota and established his veterinary practice. At one point, he owned a portion of the Helsene Prairie.
In this interview, Walter Smedley recalls his early experiences as a veterinarian and his life in the Herman area. The discussion centers on the prairie land which he owned, including what he used it for, its management, and other related topics.
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Elvira Soberg Interview, 1979
Elvira Soberg
Elvira Soberg talks about her work as a Grant County country schoolteacher in the 20s and 30s in the beginning of the interview. The remainder of the tape discusses various aspects of the "Senior Federation" organization in Minnesota. The Senior Federation is a non-governmentally funded group of people 55 and up who confront problems of the elderly and fixed income members of society.
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Olin Thompson Interview, 1972
Olin Thompson
Olin Thompson was born on May 1, 1888 and lived across the river from the old site of Pomme de Terre village. His father was Michael Thompson. He married Elaine Brown.
In this interview, Olin Thompson discusses his first teachers and the school he attended. He talks about Pomme de Terre village and the businesses that were there, as well as the stagecoach from Herman to Ashby.
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Effie Tyberg Interview, ca. 1979
Effie Tyberg
Effie Tyberg grew up on a farm in South Central Minnesota. She was 86 years old and lived in Hoffman at the time of the interview.
In this interview, she recalls farm life in the early years of the century. She talks about the dairy products made from the farm and going to a rural school. She was a farm wife for 45 years. She talks about the chores she did, including cooking, milking, and farming turkeys. She also recalls the first cars in the area. She talks about some of the dry-goods they purchased, such as coffee and flour. She discusses getting electricity as well.
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Howard Wagner Interview, ca. 1979
Howard Wagner
Howard Wagner was a life-long resident of Herman. Howard was on the Grant County Fair Board for 12 years.
In this interview, Howard discusses the history of the Grant County Fair and his involvement in the fair through 4-H. In particular, he talks about horse racing and stock car racing at the fair.