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  Alvin Olson Interview, ca. 1979

  Alvin Olson

  Alvin Olson was 72 years old and lived in Morris, Minnesota at the time of the interview. His parents were both from Norway and moved to Morris, Minnesota. He worked a variety of jobs, eventually owning a blacksmith shop.

  In this interview, Alvin discusses the changes in Morris, the schools in Morris, and an accident he had in his youth. He also talks about his jobs working for the city, his work repairing cars, his work as a blacksmith, and the changes in motorcycles.

  Stevens County

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  Florence Olson Interview, 1975

  Florence Olson and Joe Olson

  Florence Olson was born August 28, 1913 on a farm in Chippewa County. She attended school through the eighth grade and did house and farm work until she married in 1935. She worked as a nurse's aide for 19 years in and around Granite Falls and was retired at the time of the interview. Her father and Olof Swensson were related, making her a cousin to the Swensson children. She spent many summers with the family on their farm.

  In this interview, Florence Olson reminisces about her family, talking about the members and their activities.

  Chippewa County

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  Henry Olson Interview, 1972

  Henry Olson

  Henry Olson was born in 1894 in the town of Pomme de Terre.

  In this interview, he discusses the village of Pomme de Terre and the businessmen that were once there. He also discusses the living descendants of the former residents of the village of Pomme de Terre.

  Grant County

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  Myrtle Olson Interview, 1978

  Myrtle Olson

  Myrtle Olson was born in Benson, Minnesota in 1893. She was the daughter of a thresher mechanic and graduated from high school in Starbuck. She spent 44 years teaching in the Glenwood area, the first 4 years in a one-room rural school three miles west of Glenwood. Twenty of those years were spent as a junior high principal in Glenwood. She retired in 1960 and lived at the time of the interview in Glenwood.

  In this interview, she discusses early schools, rural schools, the role of a principal, Norwegian ethnicity, religion, and school consolidation.

  Pope County

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  Silas Olson Interview, ca. 1977

  Silas Olson

  Silas Olson was 74 years old and lived in Norcross. He talks about his grandparents and their immigration to the United States. He discusses his grandparents settlement in Norcross and relates how Norcross was named. He talks about his first car and riding in a car for the first time.

  He discusses his work on highway construction and talks about roads and snowplowing. He discusses his political involvement since his retirement, as he is mayor of Norcross.

  Grant County

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  Wesley Olson Interview, 1976

  Wesley Olson

  Wesley Olson is 33 years old and was born and lived in Clinton all of his life. His occupations are farming and being a substitute high school teacher with an emphasis on speech and political science. He farmed most of his life, before going to the University of Minnesota Morris to get his teaching degree.

  In this interview, Wesley discusses farming, government grain storage, and problems in farming past and present.

  Big Stone County

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  John O'Neil Interview, ca. 1978

  John O'Neil

  John O'Neil was 90 years old and a lifetime resident of Beardsley. HIs parents came from Ireland and homesteaded in 1878 the farm John O'Neil still lived on.

  In this interview, John discusses homesteading in Minnesota. He also discusses changes in farming and the fact that his family held on to their farm for 100 years.

  Big Stone County

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  Dr. Lillian Parson Interview, 1974

  Lillian Parson

  Dr. Lillian Parson was born on June 15, 1896 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She spent some time abroad, including school in Switzerland. She attended the University at Grand Forks and finished her medical schooling at the University of Illinois. She came to Elbow Lake in 1923 and was one of the first women doctors to practice in Grant County.

  In this interview, Dr. Parson discusses her personal and family background and her medical background and practice. In particular, she discusses her work on insulin for the treatment of diabetes, a diphtheria epidemic in Minnesota, maternity services she provided, and various accidents and incidents she helped treat. She also discusses general life in Elbow Lake, Minnesota.

  Grant County

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  Reuben Parson Interview, 1979

  Reuben Parson

  In this interview, Reuben Parson recounts his Swedish grandfather's pioneering days in Otter Tail County with an emphasis on the role of the Swedish-Lutheran Church in Swedish American life.

  Otter Tail County

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  Fred Pasche Interview, ca. 1977

  Fred Pasche

  Fred Pasche was 75 years old and was born in Webster, South Dakota. He came to Stevens County in 1908.

  In this interview, Fred recounts his hunting and trapping experiences in Stevens County. He also discusses his horseback riding. He talks about his aviation experiences and his first plane. He discusses the airplane accident he was in, and building planes. He also spent many years as township and then county assessor.

  Stevens County

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  Ida Payne and Rosina Moser Interview, ca. 1979

  Ida Payne and Rosina Moser

  Ida Payne was 84 years old and lived in Morris at the time of the interview. She moved to the Donnelly area when she was 5 years old. At the time of the interview, Ida was caring for Rosina Moser (93 years old), who speaks at the end of the interview.

  In this interview, Ida discusses growing up in a family of 17 children. She talks about chores (such as laundry), farming, and her part in the outside work. She reflects on the changes over the years. She talks about caring for her family members when they are sick or elderly.

  Stevens County

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  Mabel Pederson Interview, 1976

  Mabel Pederson

  In this interview, Mabel Knutson Pederson discusses the process of changing church services conducted in Norwegian to church services conducted in English at the East Zion Lutheran church in rural Starbuck, Minnesota. The transition lasted from 1925-1951 with two thirds of the services in English by 1951. She also touches on the problems the changeover caused in the community as a whole.

  Pope County

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  Monsignor Petermeier Interview, ca. 1977

  Monsignor Petermeier

  Monsignor Petermeier was 86 years old. He was born in Melrose, Minnesota.

  In this interview, he talks about his schooling and the three parishes he served as priest in. he also tells how he got the Villa of St. Francis started and what he had to do to go about doing it.

  Stearns County and Stevens County

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  Philip Peterson Interview, ca. 1979

  Philip Peterson

  Philip Peterson was born in Grant County in 1905 and grew up in Elbow Lake, though lived in Grant County for most of his life. He was 74 years old at the time of the interview. He helped organize and run a radio station in Barrett, Minnesota called KGDE in the late 1920s. The station was at Barrett for three years and then moved to Fergus Falls.

  In this interview, Philip Peterson talks about the radio industry, his interest in radio, and KGDE.

  Grant County

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  Roy Peterson Interview, 1973

  Roy Peterson

  Roy Peterson was a Benson area milkman who was active in a number of liberal political movements in West Central Minnesota since the 1930s. His mother was from Sweden and his father was from Denmark.

  In this interview, Roy Peterson discusses the political attitudes in Benson, Minnesota, the Non-Partisan League, the Farmer's Holiday movement, accounts of violence with the Farmer's Holiday Movement, the Depression in Swift County, the Farmer-Labor Party, and the National Farmer's Organization (NFO).

  Swift County

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  Joseph Petrick Interview, 1976

  Joseph Petrick and Hazelle Petrick

  Joseph Petrick was born in Ortonville in 1901. He enlisted in the army in 1917, but did not go overseas at that time. Later, he joined the National Guard and stayed with them until the 1950s. Athletics were an important part of his early life and he was involved with championship football and basketball teams in high school. He later coached a women's basketball team during the 1920s. From 1927-1969 he served as a rural postman. Joseph and Hazelle have raised 2 children.

  In this interview, Joseph Petrick discusses growing up in Ortonville, his high school experiences, Hamline University, and his marriage. He enjoyed talking about athletics in his early life, experiences at a variety of jobs, including as rural postman in Big Stone County, and his years in the National Guard, particularly during World War II. He also briefly discusses Ortonville during World War I, including enlistment and anti-German sentiments.

  Big Stone County

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  Mrs. Harry Phinney Interview, ca. 1977

  Mrs. Harry Phinney

  Mrs. Harry Phinney was 85 years old and lived in Morris. She was born in Illinois and her father was a town doctor. She discusses her activities in church and civic groups, and some of the jobs she held, including receptionist and sorority house mother. She also discusses her husband's involvement in the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

  Stevens County

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  Otto Pieper Interview, 1975

  Otto Pieper

  Otto Pieper discusses the starting of Clara City and the effects of World War I and the Depression on prices. Also mentioned were businesses and cooperatives in Clara City, and he comments on the coming of a revolution in the United States.

  Chippewa County

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  Otto Pieper Interview, 1977

  Otto Pieper

  Otto Pieper was a German immigrant to Minnesota in 1890, where he worked for awhile in Steel County, Minnesota, as a hired man on a farm. In 1898, he married and moved to Clara City, Minnesota (Chippewa County) where he started to farm. He purchased a 120-acre farm.

  In this interview, he discusses farm life and changes on the farm from 1898 to the 1940s when he retired. References were made to the Farmers' Alliance, Non-Partisan League and Farm Holiday. He was active in the organization of the Farmers' Co-op Elevator and Farmers' Co-op telephone company in Clara City.

  Chippewa County

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  Max Podratz Interview, ca. 1979

  Max Podratz

  Max Podratz was 85 years old and lived in Morris at the time of the interview. His parents were born in Germany and after immigrating to the United States, settled near Swan Lake, Minnesota.

  In this interview, Max discusses ethnic relations near Swan Lake in Stevens County. He also mentions country schools, ice fishing, and farm life. He discusses planting windbreaks and the change from horses to tractors on the farm. He also reflects on the changes in Morris.

  Stevens County

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  Kenneth Prall Interview, ca. 1977

  Kenneth Prall

  Kenneth Prall was born in Atlantic, Iowa in 1904, and was 73 years old at the time of the interview. He worked in the clothes cleaning business, starting at the age of 13 or 14.

  In this interview, he discusses his time in the clothes cleaning business, which he worked in for 52-53 years. He discussed the tough times he had during the Great Depression. He also discusses fishing, which is a favorite hobby.

  Stevens County

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  Sister Praxeda Interview, ca. 1979

  Sister Praxeda

  Sister Praxeda worked at the Villa of St. Francis since its beginning in 1963 until 1971 when she moved to upstate New York where she worked in a convent.

  In this interview, she discusses the origins of the Villa of St. Francis and reflects on the mission of the Villa and the order of Franciscan sisters.

  Stevens County

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  Hart Proudfoot Interview, ca. 1977

  Hart Proudfoot

  Hart Proudfoot was 84 years old and was born in Stillwater, Minnesota. He moved to Morris when he was 7.

  In this interview, he discusses threshing and farm life in Minnesota. He talks about carpentry and why homes weren't insulated. He talks about selling cars for Ford and Chrysler Plymouth and his tricks to good salesmanship.

  Stevens County

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  Katie Lupkes Randolph Interview, ca. 1977

  Catherine Lupkes Randolph

  Katie Randolph was 74 years old and was born in Rushmore, Minnesota. She moved with her family near Wheaton when she was 2 years old.

  In this interview, she discusses her mother's death and helping to take care of her younger siblings. She talks about her various jobs working in hotels, as a waitress, and a manager at hotels and motels. She discusses meeting various famous people during her time working in customer service at hotels and restaurants. In particular, she discusses meeting Laurel and Hardy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lucille Ball.

  Traverse County

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  Agnes Ranum Interview, ca. 1977

  Agnes Ranum

  Agnes Ranum was 83 years old and lived in Starbuck, Minnesota. She was born in Fillmore County and moved to Pope County in 1898 when she was 5 years old. Her family moved to the area because of cheaper land and the Norwegians in the area.

  In this interview, she discusses the rural school and the education she got there. She talks about the work she did in Texas for many years and the family she worked for (A.B. Pierce family). Then she discusses her time as a farm wife after marrying in 1928. She talks about the Depression and her experiences during that time. She mentions her children and their occupations at the time of the interview. Finally, she discusses the Minnewaska Home and its founding in the town.

  Pope County