History preserved. Beryl Singleton Bissell’s oral history project of 1999 included these audio tapes of Mae Gunderson Gilbertson, Bernard and Carol Spencer, Chuck Magney, James Tveekrem, Martin Coyer, Robert Silver, Ken Bonin, Nancy Gunderson Lindquist, Clifford Smith, Dora Allard Marjala and Harriet Johnson Ecklund and Marion McKeever. Video taped oral histories of Joyce Krueger and Joyce Taylor and Maybelle Skou and Bev Johnson are also part of this collection. Linda Lamb (pictured here with the audio tapes), Barb Livdahl and Judy Gregg conducted the video oral histories.
This fall, the Schroeder Area Historical Society (SAHS) was awarded a Minnesota Historical Society and Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund grant of $1,125 for nine video oral history transcriptions. The transcriptions will be completed by Minnesota Book Award winner Barb Sommer, author of Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota.
The nine video oral histories are of George Nelson speaking about his experience in the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II; Wayne Johnson’s history as a World War II Flying Tiger pilot; Burton Kreitlow’s Depressionera story; Eileen Netland Hall’s life in Tofte in the World War II years; Willard Nelson and his Lutsen memories; Wes Morris on growing up in the woods and Navy life; Larry Johnson with the history of the Morris family; Florence and Henry Wehseler’s life on Sawbill landing; and Patti Eckel Nelson remembering growing up on Isle Royale.
In related news, SAHS has been working with the Minnesota Digital Library to bring its oral history collection online. SAHS has been working closely with Marian Rengel, Minnesota Digital Library Outreach Coordinator to bring the collection online as part of the Minnesota Reflections series. The Schroeder histories are the first in the Minnesota Reflections series.
The two video oral histories now online were completed by Linda Lamb, Barb Livdahl and Judy Gregg. The interviewees are Maybelle Skou, Bev Johnson, Joyce Taylor and Joyce Krueger.
Eleven audio oral histories completed by Beryl Singleton Bissell in 1999 are also part of the project. Bissell’s transcription work made this first phase easier to complete.
To access the first phase of the oral history project go to reflections.mndigital.org Scroll down to Schroeder Area Historical Society then choose which audio or video oral history you would like to hear.
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