
Title
Ben Bengston Interview, ca. 1978
Files
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Interviewer
Lee Tempte
Interviewee
Ben Bengston
Date Recorded
1978
Date Digital
7-29-2020
Keywords
Sod houses--North Dakota; Agriculture--Minnesota; Farm life--Minnesota; Agricultural machinery--Minnesota; Rural schools--Minnesota; Threshing--Minnesota; United States. Navy; Nicaragua--20th century; Ottertail Power Company (Firm); Electric industry workers--Minnesota; Farmers--Minnesota; Minnesota. State Board of Electricity; Carpentry
Description
Ben Bengston was born in North Dakota and later moved to Minnesota. He was 90 years old and lived in Morris at the time of the interview. He worked as a farmer with his father, and then joined the U.S. Navy before World War I. He did line work for Ottertail Power Company, then worked as a farmer again, and worked for the state on the State Board of Electricity. After retiring, he did some carpentry work.
In this interview, he discusses growing up in a sod house. He discusses farming and threshing techniques. He talks about going to a rural school near Canby, Minnesota. He discusses his time in U.S. Navy in Nicaragua. He mentions his time working for Ottertail Power Company, and includes a time when he was almost injured in an accident.
Run Time
00:10:08
Language
English
Original Format
Reel-to-Reel
Digital Identifier
KMRSBengston01
Repository
West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center (WCMHRC)
Local Identifier
1019
Recommended Citation
Bengston, Ben, "Ben Bengston Interview, ca. 1978" (1978). Reminiscing in West Central Minnesota (KMRS Feature). 135.
https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/kmrs/135

Notes
This oral history has no transcript.