General Oral Histories

2.01 linear feet

These general oral histories were conducted from 1973 to 1993 predominantly in the late 1970s.  25 of the interviews are centered on the three cities of St. Cloud, Waite Park, and Sauk Rapids, while the remaining interviews are from communities north and east of that region.  Three interviews are from communities west of Duluth.

The people interviewed represent a wide spectrum of occupations including business owners in a variety of fields and farmers.  Journalists, teachers, musicians, peace officers, and medical care givers are also interviewed.  Each interviewee shares experiences from the early 1900s to the time of their interview and all discuss the changes to their community that they have seen in that time.  Many discuss how their parents or grandparents migrated to the United States and then to St. Cloud area, as well as giving family experiences in the area.  Experiences during the world wars, both at home and in the services, are provided, particularly economic effects on agriculture and manufacturing.  In some, experiences with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression are also referenced.

Brief biographical and interview notes are given for all participants.  Date of birth and death were given when known using the oral histories, St. Cloud Times obituaries, Google search, or Findagrave.com.

Some interviews were actually transcribed. The typewritten transcripts were keyed into a Word document but have not been checked against the audio. Past experiences has suggested that the transcripts may not be complete. In the meantime, the transcripts are available here as PDFs.

Series 1: Oral History Transcripts and Other Material

The records are arranged in alphabetical order by last name.

Series 2: Recordings

Sub-Series 1: Reel to Reel tapes

The tapes are organized in alphabetical order by last name. There are a few tapes that contain two separate oral histories and are noted.

Sub-Series 2: Audio cassettes

The tapes are organized in alphabetical order by last name.

Records are located at 35C.4a-d.

Unless noted, there are no access restrictions.

The oral histories are all on audio cassette, as well as some material on reel to reel tape.  All of the oral histories have been digitized and online with the Minnesota Digital Library or the Repository @ St. Cloud State.

Permission to publish must be secured from the copyright holder.

Doug Breese processed this collection September through November 2015.