This collection contains oral histories pertaining to life and events in the West Central region of 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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Mrs. Henry Lampert Interview, ca. 1977
Mrs. Henry Lampert
Mrs. Henry Lampert was 86 years old and was born in Illinois. Her family moved to Iowa, she married her husband, and then moved to Minnesota due to cheaper land prices.
In this interview, she discusses her childhood in Illinois. She talks about her father's occupation as an ice-man in Illinois. She talks about the train travel to move to Minnesota. She discusses her farm chores and the changes in farming and technology. She talks about the volunteer work she has done for her church, and the changes to Morris.
Stevens County
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Cora Lange Interview, ca. 1979
Cora Lange
Cora Lange was 74 years old and was born in Iowa. Her family moved to Minnesota when she was a child. She has played in a number of bands.
In this interview, she reflects on the differences between Iowa and Minnesota. She discusses her family's move to Minnesota and farming. She talks about her interest in music, the bands she was in, and the changes in music over the years. She discusses handicrafts and her work with the Senior Citizens Center.
Stevens County
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Aleck Larson Interview, ca. 1979
Aleck Larson
Aleck Larson was born in North Dakota to Norwegian parents and was 86 years old. HIs family moved to a farm in Kandiyohi County when he was 7 years old and they came to Stevens County in 1911. He lived in Donnelly at the time of the interview. He was active in the Donnelly ASCS and on the Board of Trustees of the Kongsvinger Church. For 37 years, he was actively involved in a general co-op store.
In this interview, he recalls the change in the types of crops over the years and talks about marketing farm products in the 1920s. He talks about the price of land and the prices of crops. He discusses his involvement in the cooperative general store.
Stevens County
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Blanche Larson Interview, 1978
Blanche Larson
Mrs. Larson is active in the Morris Senior Citizens Center.
In this interview, Mrs. Larson discusses and comments on the committees, functions, bylaws, and changes of the Senior Citizens Center.
Stevens County
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Clarence Larson Interview, ca. 1979
Clarence Larson
Clarence Larson was 82 years old and was born near Starbuck. His father was from Sweden and his mother from near Kensington, Minnesota. His family moved to a farm near Kensington when he was 3 years old. He was a farmer for his entire life. The Kensington Runestone was found on a neighbor's farm and Clarence was active in buying and promoting the Runestone Park. After retiring from farming, he spent his leisure time exploring for artifacts.
In this interview, Clarence recalls the early days of Kensington and Alexandria businesses. He talks about blizzards in the area. He discusses horses and farm life. He mentions his talent with water witching (dowsing). He then goes on to talk about the Kensington Runestone.
Douglas County
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Cora Larson Interview, ca. 1979
Cora Larson
Cora Larson was 92 years old and lived in Starbuck. She was born in Belgrade, Minnesota. Her father owned a general store. She went to college in St. Olaf College and then taught school; she was also the principal in Starbuck. Her husband was the only dentist in Starbuck at the time.
In this interview, Cora discusses the merchandise her father carried in his general store. She talks about going to college and her career as a teacher. She was the coordinator of the school play at the school, and discusses that experience. She talks about the various organizations and clubs she was a part of in Starbuck, Minnesota.
Pope County
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Marie Larson Interview, 1974
Marie Larson
Mrs. Larson was born in 1888 and is the last surviving daughter of one of the first families to settle in Stevens County in 1866. She was a farmer's wife.
In this interview, Mrs. Larson gives a short family history. She talks about the life of an early settler on the prairie and home remedies. She goes into social activities and education in Stevens County and childhood memories. She discusses the Great Depression and talks about family life.
Stevens County
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Orrin Larson Interview, 1973
Orrin Larson
Orrin Larson was born in 1894 in Lien Township in Grant County to Herman Larson and Christianelle Anderson Larson.
In this interview, Orrin Larson discusses working for Chris Rigg in Hancock, working for Ben Barlow in Barrett, and the jewelry business which he had operated since 1910 and was running still at the time of the interview. He discussed running the Herman Movie Theatre from 1920 to the time of the interview, and General Barrett and his sons.
Grant County
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Victor Larson and Oscar Scholquist Interview, 1972
Victor Larson and Oscar Scholquist
In this interview, Victor Larson discusses the history of his family's settlement in the area, farming, and the Elim Lutheran Church in Clinton, Minnesota.
In this interview, Oscar Scholquist discusses early automobiles and some of his reminiscences of the area.
Big Stone County
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Bill Larson Interview, 1974
William C. Larson
Bill Larson was born on January 27, 1891 at Chadwick, Michigan. His parents settled in Roseville Township in Grant County in 1894. He became a U.S. mail carrier for the Barrett area in May of 1909. 50 years later, he retired from the job.
In this interview, Bill Larson talks about his experiences delivering mail in the county. He talks about the blizzard of 1894 and the fire of 1900 which destroyed almost all of the buildings in Barrett, Minnesota. He discusses all of the businesses and businessmen of Barrett for most of the tape.
Grant County
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Alma Lee Interview, 1978
Alma Lee
Alma Lee was born in Vergas, Minnesota in 1900. She moved to Morris in 1936 along with her husband and operated a restaurant until 1958.
In this interview, Alma Lee discusses her career in the restaurant business in Morris from 1936 to 1958. Topics include the effect of prohibition, the depression, and World War II on her business.
Stevens County
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Hilfred Lee Interview, ca. 1977
Hilfred Lee
Hilfred Lee was 76 years old and lived in rural Morris. His father homesteaded the same land, and immigrated from Norway.
In this interview, Hilfred discusses homesteading in the early years, including breaking sod and plowing with oxen. He discusses the Morris Indian School and the land that currently is the University of Minnesota Morris. He talks about the Pomme de Terre River and the fish in it. He discusses working at the Ford dealership in Morris and some details about Ford vehicles, including both cars and tractors.
Stevens County
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Marcus Lee Interview, 1976
Marcus Lee
In this interview, Marcus Lee discusses his experiences as a soldier in the Army in World War II. He was a member of the Devil's Brigade, known as the daddy of the Green Berets. He mentions the countries his troop went through as well as the types of military projects he was involved in. He has lived in the Elbow Lake / Erdahl area all his life and works as a carpenter.
Grant County
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Mrs. W.J. Lee Interview, ca. 1977
Mrs. W. J. Lee
Mrs W.J. Lee was 85 years old and was born in Iowa. She was living in Morris at the time of the interview. She was educated as a schoolteacher in Iowa and taught for six years in a country school in Iowa. She married and moved to Minnesota in the early 1920s and lived on a farm for 25 years. After retirement, she travelled extensively throughout the world.
In this interview, she reminisces about early farm life and farming methods. She also talks about the travel she did in her life.
Stevens County
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Art LeSage Interview, ca. 1975
Art LeSage
Art LeSage was born in Illinois and came to Morris in a boxcar with his father. He farmed outside of Morris, and is known as "Mr. Baseball" of Morris. He discusses his baseball career and baseball in Morris today.
Stevens County
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Verena LeSage Interview, ca. 1979
Verena LeSage
Verena LeSage was born in Iowa and was 90 years old. She moved to Minnesota when she was 13 years old. Her father was a carpenter.
In this interview, she discusses the school system in Morris and teaching. She talks about her wedding, life on the farm, and her experiences during World War II when she worked at an airplane factory in California.
Stevens County
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Richard Leunenberg Interview, ca. 1977
Richard Leunenberg
Richard Luenenberg was born at Niagara Falls in 1894 and was 82 years old. He moved with his family to Grant County to live closer to relatives.
In this interview, Richard discusses living on a farm. He talks about some of his first experiences plowing. He talks about threshing and when he worked on a threshing crew. He discusses prices of agriculture crops during the Great Depression and the drought in the area. He talks about a Fourth of July celebration in 1909. He also worked for a few years in the city as a streetcar conductor before moving back to the farm.
Grant County
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Robert Lewis Interview, 1984
Robert Lewis
Robert Lewis was a native of Moorhead, Minnesota and moved to Perham, Minnesota in 1959. At the time of the interview, he worked full time for the National Farmers Organization (NFO). He eventually left the dairy farming business in 1974 to concentrate more on his NFO duties.
In this interview, Robert Lewis discusses recruitment policies, meeting procedures, NFO farm protests, and the basic history of how the NFO has progressed over the years and the direction it is taking for the future.
Otter Tail County
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Inge Linde Interview, ca. 1977
Inge Linde
Inge Linde was 84 years old and was born in New Prairie Township in Pope County, Minnesota. She went to Augustana University and married the doctor in Cyrus. She taught in rural schools for seven years.
In this interview, Inge relates how she met her husband. She talks about the life of a doctor in the early 20th century. She discusses the car that they had. She also talks about how she ended up at the nursing home in Pope County.
Pope County
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Richard Martin and Helmer Benson Interview, 1978
Richard Martin and Helmer Benson
Helmer Benson was born March 14, 1923. He lived and farmed outside of DeGraff, Minnesota. Dick Martin was born November 27, 1940. He lived in Murdock and drove a truck for a meat company.
Murdock and Kerkhoven School Systems were planning a possible consolidation for many years. The 1978 school year was the first year the consolidation was utilized. Both Dick Martin and Helmer Benson were active in the school board in the consolidation proceedings.
In this interview, they discuss the origins of the consolidation effort and the success which the proceedings had in consolidating the Kerkhoven and Murdock schools.
Swift County
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Thor Mathison Interview, ca. 1975
Thor Mathison
Thor Mathison emigrated to the United States from Norway at 15 years of age. He moved to North Dakota to become a cowboy. He served in World War I as a cook and farmed outside of Chokio. He reflects on the farming transition from horse to tractor. He was 81 years old.
Stevens County
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Alvah Matthews Interview, ca. 1972
Alvah Matthews
In this interview, Alvah Matthews discusses her personal history, family history, and remembrances of early Big Stone County.
Big Stone County
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Shag Mattson Interview, ca. 1977
F. C. Mattson
Shag Mattson was 77 years old and a lifetime Hoffman resident. He worked in a drugstore for a time.
In this interview, Shag reflects on his time working in a drugstore. He relates his experiences from his career as a rural mail carrier. He discusses his role as a coordinator of the Senior Citizens Center and the creation of the Red Rock Golf Course.
Grant County
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George Maughan Interview, ca. 1975
George Maughan
George Maughan was 85 years old and was born 3 miles from Morris at Muddy Creek Hill. He taught in a Common School at 18, then he entered the lumber business. He served as a mechanic in World War I. He received a law degree and practice in St. Paul and Morris until 1946. Then he returned to teaching and taught in a variety of small West-Central Minnesota towns.
Stevens County
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William E. Maughan Interview, 1977
William E. Maughan
In this interview, William Maughan discusses his years as a student in the Morris schools. He attended elementary and high school in town in Morris. He graduated from Morris High School in 1912. He discusses academics and social activities in the schools.
Stevens County