Title
Oscar Sorby Interview, 1973
Files
Download Oscar Sorby Interview Transcript (1.7 MB)
Document Type
Book
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Interviewer
Dennis Wenker
Interviewee
Oscar Sorby
Date Recorded
8-1973
Date Digital
7-2-2020
Location Recorded
Montevideo, Minnesota
County
Chippewa County
Keywords
Montevideo (Minn.); Frontier and pioneer life--Minnesota--Montevideo; Business enterprises--Minnesota--Montevideo; Railroads--Minnesota--Montevideo; Railroads--Employees--Minnesota--Montevideo; Locomotive firemen--Minnesota--Montevideo; Labor unions--Minnesota; World War, 1914-1918; Presidents--United States--Election--1908
Description
Oscar Sorby's parents arrived in Montevideo in 1879 and he was born here in 1884. After attending public school through the 6th grade and spending one year at Windom Institute, Oscar Sorby began his career with the railroad. He was affiliated with the railroad for 71 years.
In this interview, Oscar Sorby discusses Montevideo before the turn of the century and his father's lumber, carpentry, and ice businesses. He talks about his first assignments with the railroad and the life of a fireman on the trains in the early 1900s. He discusses the need for a strong railroad union, the union and management, and railroad union action. He discussed life on the railroad during World War I. Finally, he discusses politics, including meeting Taft and William Jennings Bryan campaigning for the presidency in 1908 and George McGovern.
Run Time
00:43:30
Language
English
Original Format
Reel-to-Reel
Digital Identifier
CCSorby01
Repository
West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center (WCMHRC)
Local Identifier
282
Recommended Citation
Sorby, Oscar, "Oscar Sorby Interview, 1973" (1973). All Minnesota Oral Histories. 80.
https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/mnoralhistories/80
Primo Type
Audio