Lee Gresser was the first director and employee of Hennepin Technical College. He, the District 287 Board (made up of 15 individual suburban school districts), and Richard Emery were instrumental in lobbying for a suburban vocational-technical school, buying land, deciding which programs to offer, and who to hire to teach the programs. Lee was interviewed by Joyce Randall Senechal. Also present in the room were Carole Carlson and Marty Patterson.
In this interview, Gene Broughten talks about his time at Wilson Campus School, the changes that happened in 1968, and what he did after Wilson closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Janet Albrecht talks about being a parent of students at the school, different activities that her daughters participated in, and what she thought of the school. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Lynn Russ talks about sports at Wilson Campus School, the newly formed women's sports, what her daily life was like at Wilson and what she did after the school closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Mark Kiecker talks about his experience at Wilson Campus School, before and after the change, the classes and teachers he remembers, and his life after Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Brenda Boyer talks about being a student at Wilson Campus School after the changes that took place in 1968, her favorite memories, and what she did after she graduated from Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Mark Schuck talks about being a student teacher at Wilson Campus School, the students he worked with and what he did after Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Gene Biewen talks about coaching at Wilson Campus School, the changes that Don Glines implemented, and what he did after the school closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Hilja Karvonen talks about what she did before she taught at Wilson Campus School, her experience at Wilson, and what she did after Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Joan Struck talks about her experience at Wilson Campus School before and after the changes made in 1968, things she remembered from going to Wilson and what she has done since she graduated from Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Orville Jensen talks about where he taught before joining the staff at Wilson Campus School, his time at Wilson, and what he did after the school closed. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Joel Jensen talks about what it was like at Wilson after the changed format, his classes, and his life after Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Kirsten Riehle talks about her time at Wilson Campus School, what she did after Wilson, and what her thoughts are about the experience today. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Cathy Colby talks about attending Wilson Campus School, the activities she was involved in, and what she has done since Wilson closed in 1977. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Claire Faust talks about the changes he observed at Wilson Campus School from 1962-1977, different students that went through Wilson, and what he did after his time at Wilson. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
In this interview, Jodi Orchard talks about her classes at Wilson Campus School, her trips to Mexico, and what she has done since graduating high school. This oral history interview was conducted as part of the Wilson Campus School Oral History Project conducted by the Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Wilson Campus School was a lab school for the college.
Contributing Institution:
University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center, Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Roy Bernard Oberg is of Swedish descent. His spouse (second) was Lorraine Stevens Oberg. He was interviewed aboard the Voyageur II between Grand Portage, Minnesota and Windigo, Isle Royale, Michigan, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Christopher Tormundsen was of Norwegian descent. His spouse was Mateld Smith Tormondsen. Mr. Tormondsen was 90 years old at the time of this interview. The interviewed was taken at Mr. Tormondsen's home a mile and a half north of Tofte, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Ragnvald Sve was of Norwegian descent. His spouse was Ragnhild Jacobson Sve. They were married to each other for 51 year. He is one of several people presently allowed a license to fish trout in Lake Superior. He was interviewed at the Sve home in Two Harbors, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
George Torgersen was of Norwegian descent. His spouse was Barbara Eggert Torgeson. He was interviewed at his home at Knife River, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Lorntsen, Conrad, tape 1, side2, narrator. He was of Norwegian descent. His spouse Fern Williams Lorntsen was present throughout the interview. Mr. Lorntsen is retired. He was interviewed at Mr. Lorntsen's home in Beaver Bay, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Of Norwegian descent, Aleck, his father and brother operated the H. Christiansen & Sons dealership started in 1898. His spouse's name was Minnie Wiggins Christensen. Betty (of Betty's Pies just north of Two Harbors, is Aleck Christensen's daughter. The interview was taken at H. Christiansen, Inc. Sporting Goods, in Duluth, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Ingeborg Holte was of Swedish descent, spouse Edwin Holte (died in 1971) fished as did her father but Ingeborg did not fish; Mrs. Holte is Sam Johnson's and Edwin C. "Steve" Johnson's sister; interviewed at Mrs. Holte's home in Grand Marais, Minnesota; she is the sister of Edwin C. "Steve" Johnson, interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Milford Johnson Jr.'s spouse was Monica Wannebo Johnson. He is currently working at Reserve Mining Company. He was interviewed at Mr. Johnson's home in Two Harbors, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The narrator is Edwin C. "Steve" Johnson of Swedish descent. His spouse is Myrtle Eklund Johnson. He is the brother of Sam Johnson who owned a fish dealership called Sam Johnson & Sons. His sister is Ingeborg Holte. Steve was interviewed at his home in Duluth, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Hjalmer Louis Mattson is of Finnish descent who calls himself a Swede-Finn. He is not married. He was interviewed at his home in Duluth, Minnesota, by interviewer Barbara W. Sommer.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Connee Mayeron-Cowles (1949 - ) grew up in Saint Louis Park, studied pottery at the University of Minnesota under Curt Hoard and Warren MacKenzie, and was a co-founder of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Mayeron-Cowles discusses her childhood; ceramics education; her introduction to the pottery community in Minnesota; and her thoughts on the past, present and future of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. This interview was conducted by local oral historian and PhD Candidate from the University of Minnesota Anduin Wilhide. ""A Measure of the Earth: An Oral History of the Potters of the St. Croix River Valley"" explores the anomalous community of potters in Eastern Minnesota who host an annual cooperative tour for participating ceramic artists from around the world. This annual three-day event attracts art enthusiasts from across the country. Together the project's ten oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within the local pottery community, tell the story of how, from the 1950s to today, Minnesota�s St. Croix River Valley has developed into a major center for pottery, and a destination for thousands nationally.
Richard Vincent (1955-) grew up in White Bear Lake and studied pottery in high school and at Lakewood Community College in Minnesota. In this interview, Vincent discusses his childhood; ceramics education; teaching experience; the establishment of his studio in North Branch; faith and religious experiences; and his thoughts on the past, present and future of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. This interview was conducted by local oral historian and PhD Candidate from the University of Minnesota Anduin Wilhide. ""A Measure of the Earth: An Oral History of the Potters of the St. Croix River Valley"" explores the anomalous community of potters in Eastern Minnesota who host an annual cooperative tour for participating ceramic artists from around the world. This annual three-day event attracts art enthusiasts from across the country. Together the project's ten oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within the local pottery community, tell the story of how, from the 1950s to today, Minnesota�s St. Croix River Valley has developed into a major center for pottery, and a destination for thousands nationally.
Edie Abnet (1947-) is a painter who was married to the late Richard Abnet (1934-2011) , a potter and founding host of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Abnet discusses her husband's childhood in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and subsequent studies in ceramics at the University of Minnesota under Warren MacKenzie, and at the School for American Crafts in Rochester, New York, under Frans Wildenhain. Abnet also talks about the home and studio she and her husband shared in the St. Croix River Valley and his involvement in the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. This interview was conducted by local oral historian and PhD Candidate from the University of Minnesota Anduin Wilhide. ""A Measure of the Earth: An Oral History of the Potters of the St. Croix River Valley"" explores the anomalous community of potters in Eastern Minnesota who host an annual cooperative tour for participating ceramic artists from around the world. This annual three-day event attracts art enthusiasts from across the country. Together the project's ten oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within the local pottery community, tell the story of how, from the 1950s to today, Minnesota�s St. Croix River Valley has developed into a major center for pottery, and a destination for thousands nationally.
This interview discusses the topic of immigration and Angela's parents, Rosalie and John, and their journey from Yugoslavia, circa 1890. Angela was born in Ely on August 17, 1900. She also discusses family life, Lincoln School, St. Anthony's Catholic Church, her marriage, mines, and life in early Ely.
Interview with Vivian Tumoikoski. This interview discusses homesteading near One Pine Lake in early 1900. Topics include, dairy farm, chores, milking, bottling, selling, haymaking, and hired help. Vivian also discusses making ice and harvesting ice as well as recreation and family travels.
A talk given by Lyle Klein, music instructor. He spoke on the origins of bands in Ely beginning with the first band of about 12 people known as the "Ely Cornet Band," or the Brass Band or the City Band, and sometimes all three names were used in the same newspaper article. Bands began in 1888-1889. Klein lists the various band directors through to 1967. Most school students were members of bands and Ely had an excellent instrumental music program. The school music directors followed closely the list of city band directors. Klein speaks of the Sampo Band under the direction of Charles Klemola a trumpet player and composer.The talk touches on the various ethnic bands as well.
Interview with Julia Purdy. Julia was born in 1890 and taught school in Tower until she met and married her husband John. Most of her interview is on her husband and his job on the D & IR Railroad where he worked from 1905-1914. As his lungs weren't strong he wintered in California or Colorado where he worked as a switchman for various railroads. He as also the constable and town clerk for the Town of Morse. Julia then held that position for 25 years and she also worked as janitor a the DM&IR depot. When tourism was being developed they began a bait service and rented fishing boats on Shagawa. John died of TV at Nopemming in 1948.
Interview with Bob Olson of Canoe Country Outfitters. Bob Olson started the business in 1950 when there were no restrictions on traveling in what was the Superior National Forest. In the 1960s the environmentalists were beginning to get laws passed restricting travel in what became the BWCA. In 1964 the Wilderness Bill was passed with partial bans on motors and no cans and bottles could be taken into the area. Ely became known as "Canoe Town" and it was advertised that way heavily at sports shows and in magazines. Resentment was beginning to grow and even in 1979 Bob was aware of the resentment shown by local people towards the tourists. He goes on to talk about outfitters losing business at the rate of 3-5% per year since 1970 due to the quota system and other restrictions. he estimated that by 1980 it would be 20-30%.
Part 1 of 2: Elderly residents of Pioneer Apartments in 1977. They discuss school memories from early 1900s including teachers, activities, and sports. They also discuss after school activities including their chores, outdoor games, winter sports, dances, picnics, and family life. Other topics include: boarding houses and boarders, the Pengilly Mine, and the Ojibwe families on Burntside Lake and Basswood Lake. Also discussed are the 1910 forest fire and the Vail Hotel fire. Part 2 of 2: Interview with former teacher Mrs. Evancho...? Teacher and principal at the 26-Zenith-Savoy location school which had two classrooms and two teachers. She taught grades 3-6. Mr. Burns, superintendent.
Interview with Cecil Kuitenen. He discusses his immigration from Finland in 1901 at 4 years old. Steerage class aboard the "RMS Umbria" through Ellis Island, New York. He also talks about Winton, Minnesota and sawmills, logging, jobs, boarding house, housing, schools, and Finn Hall including the plays, lectures, library, basket socials, apron socials, and the Winton church. He talks about mining at Section 30. He also speaks about his return visit to Finland and the social/political landscape of Europe. He relates his reasons for leaving Finland, Finnish/Swedish relations, Finnish/Russian relations, the Winter War. He also discusses the social/political aspect of Minnesota including U.S. citizenship, unions, socialists. Individuals mentioned: mill owners, Knox, Torinus brothers, Ely banker Mr. White, Sunday School teachers Mrs. Anderson, and Mrs. Johnson (Ruby Nichols Johnson).
Interview with Marion Columbo. Marion Columbo speaks on Ely history and promotes her two books, "Roaring Stony Days" and "The History of Incredible Ely." She speaks at length about Ely schools and the quality of its education.
Interview with Harold Nelson. Harold volunteered for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the Great Depression. He was stationed in Isabella and decided to stay there after his tour was done. The CCC men were paid $30 a month but $25 was sent to their families. When the CCC camps shut down he was left with out work but managed to get some work with the AAWPS and then worked for the Evergreen Mine for three years. When it closed he worked for the Zenith Mine and then the Sibley Mine where he stayed until World War II ended. Eventually he was hired at the Pioneer Mine where he worked for 20 years until he retired.
Interview with Ben Richards. Ben Richards was born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin and moved to Ely in 1916 when he was 21. He worked for the Todd Stanbow Mining Company and then in the Xenith Mine in 1928 as a superintendent. He would go underground three days a week to inspect the work. He had mostly Finnish and Slovak workers and was responsible for more than 400 men. He attended the Presbyterian church. The population of Ely was around 6,000, so there were many students attending school. The mines provided 90% of the funding for the schools. He loved working in the underground mine. The draft during World War II took most of the younger men so they had to hire men in their late 50s early 60s. He worked in the mines from 1916 to 1959. Ben noted that he didn't see much of a future for Ely without mining.
Interview with Frances Nelson. Frances Nelson tells her granddaughter what Ely was like in 1915. There were no sidewalks or cars but transportation was by horse and wagons. There was one grocery store. There were a lot of Finnish and Slovenians and many of them didn't speak English. Milk was 5 cents a quart. Her family used the wood for heat and cooking because they had no coal. They walked everywhere and carried their lunches to school. When World War I broke out there was a diphtheria epidemic and they were quarantined. Native Americans would come around and ask for work. She said her family was very poor with no changes of clothing. When World War II broke out all of her brothers were drafted. One brother came home with yellow jaundice. She felt people were healthier then though because there were no chemicals in their food.
Interview with Senja Maki. Senja Maki was born in Finland in 1888 and immigrated to the United States when she was 4. She moved to Ely when she was 16. Her parents divorced because her father was an alcoholic and her mother remarried. Senja moved to Ely where she worked waiting tables at a hotel. The hotel burned and she looked for a new job where she worked until she broke her knee. In 1907 she married Gust Maki who owned "Maki Clothing." They had five children and her husband died in 1964. Senja marched for women's right to vote and was part of the Delphin Society. The Delphin Society was a study group for women to learn about art, music, and literature. She has lived in the same house for 77 years. Her philosophy of life is to learn to live the proper way and always do what is right.
Note: This tape does not begin at the beginning but jumps into the subject mid-sentence. Isabel speaks of being on the school board and the problems faced when the Superintendent was a Catholic and many on the board were Lutherans. She said that a man she had admired and thought most upright and decent remarked when a majority of the board were Lutherans that now they could "get" the superintendent. Women, for the most part, did not run for public office. Their husbands would not like having their wives in the public like that. In thinking it over she was proud that she had run for school board and served her term but wouldn't do it again. Talking about Ely's future (in the 1980s), she saw Ely as stuck with tourism now that the mines were closed. However more restrictions were being placed on tourism as well making it difficult to make a living as a resort-owner, too. In the mid-1950s, drilling companies were busy drilling along Highway 1 for precious metals, gold in particular. Now even those explorations were gone as the government put more restrictions on land usage. She speaks of declining populations citing how whole neighborhoods that once teemed with children now house old, single women. One thing, she said, is that as you get old you don't lie awake thinking of the things you shouldn't have done, but instead you think of the things you should have done. The children suffer, she said, when women try to have it all and their marriages pay the price as well.
Interview with Mary Marsnik. Mary Marsnik was born in Ely in 1906. Her parents were married in Austria/Hungary and their first two children died and were buried there. Her father came to Soudan, Minnesota in 1900 and worked in the mine there. He meant to go back to get his wife but instead moved to Ely where he worked in the Pioneer Mine. His wife came in 1905 reluctantly and she never liked it here. She remembers her father coming home and changing clothes in a shed in the yard. His knees would be all dirty and bleeding as all his work was done on his knees as the drifts were so low. Mary would take hot water and a towel and bathe her fathers' knees. He was paid $1.50 a day. Later, the pay was raised to $2.00 a day. There were nine children in her family. As the oldest she had a lot to do and could bake bread by the time she was nine. They had a garden plot where Vermilion College is today. Mary married at 15. Five years later she was a widow with three children and a fourth on the way. Two years later she remarried and had nine more children. All finished school and four graduated college in the same year! In 1976 she was named Mother of the Year in Ely and the following year she was runner up Mother of the Year for the State of Minnesota.
Interview with Frank Muvich. Frank's parents were born in Yugoslavia, but they met in Michigan where his father worked as a stevedore on the boats. He had a cousin in Michigan. His mother came to this country because others were immigrating and life was so hard there that she felt it had to be better in the United States. They arrived in Ely in the late 1880s where he worked at the Chandler Mine and later the Pioneer Mine. Conditions were terrible as the only tools used were the pick, shovel, and dynamite. There were nine children in the family with Frank being the eighth child. His younger sister died. Frank started working at 19 and was given his father position when he retired after 35 years. He was glad to have the position as it was 1936 and during the Great Depression. He became a contract miner but the Pioneer Mine didn't play fair with the contracts and cut the price if they felt the miners were earning too much. He joined the union on day 1. They met at Pink Hall where the company would position people to write down the names of the men attending the meetings. The company tried to organize their own union for their favorites but as it was illegal they had to disband. Frank talks about mine accidents, acid rain in the mine, and of his relief when the Pioneer Mine closed for good. He liked the crew, but he hated the work. Happy and relieved, Frank went to work for the EPA and felt he had been let out of prison.
She came from Yugoslavia by ship to visit her brother, aunt and uncle, arriving in New York on February 16, 1913. She came to Ely by train and decided to stay. She met her husband in Yugoslavia. They were married in Ely by Father Buh. They had six children. Her husband as an underground miner earning $2.40 a day. She as a teacher in Yugoslavia but not in Ely. She spoke English and taught others English and helped with citizenship applications. Shipman Hospital. Dr. Shipman, Sutherland, and Ayres. 1918 Influenza Epidemic. The hospital couldn't handle all the patients so some were housed at the Community Center. The dead were taken immediately to the mortuary above the James Laing store and buried right away. Her brother was one of the first victims. one day there were so many deaths that the Catholic church suspended its tradition of ringing the church bells when a parishioner died. Depression. Job losses. Prohibition, making moonshine. Ely Ely, Camp Street, Sheridan Street, stores, wooden sidewalks. Fourth of July she marched in the parade with Lodge #2. There were four lodges. There were Lodge flags, bands, and dancing at Sandy Point.
Interview with Harlan and Bertha Krause. Note: This tape is very fuzzy and hard to understand. He talks about his parents moving from somewhere in South Dakota to Browns Valley, Minnesota in order to farm. His family came to Ely from Browns Valley in 1923 because they were sick of farming. His father was hired at the Pioneer Mine as a timberman to start with. Later he was a janitor in the shop buildings. He died in 1939. Harlan began working at the Pioneer Mine in 1926. He retired 41 years later when the Pioneer closed its doors. A religious man, he preached salvation wherever he could. When he was given the choice between joining the union or losing his job, he refused to join the union and he also kept his job. The same was true when he was offered group insurance through the mine. He refused the insurance even though it meant that the quota of insured men was too low for good rates. He felt his sustenance came from God, not the Oliver Mining Company.
Interview with Mrs. John Ostlund (nee Ellen Reko, born 1913 in Winton, Minnesota. In the interview Ellen discusses her parents- Finnish immigrants, William and Hilma Reko; father worked in the mine. He walked to work along the railroad tracks or rode a bicycle. Activities: Games- King of the Hill, Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, Run Sheep Run. Depression era picnics with crackers, butter and sugar lumps. Skating and bonfires on the frozen (glare ice) river; skating on Fall Lake using clamp-on skates, playing Crack the Whip. Rowboats and launches. Camping on the weekends, Winton power dam, site for fishing and picnicking on Fall Lake; Learning to swim at the sandy point across the lake from the power dam. Swimming in petticoats and underwear, no swim suits. Riding a flat car to Cedar Lake to pick blueberries. Waling to Section 30 to pick raspberries and have lunch. Waling to Ely in groups to go to the movies. Ticket price 15 cents. Silent movies. She remembers All Quiet on the Western Front. Favorite actors- Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, Rudolph Valentino, Gilbert Roland, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford. Bobsled parties with teachers. Winton sites: Bob Bedford's livery stable with carriages, sleighs with velvet tapestry. He had one of the early cars in the area. The ice cream parlor located whter the old post office was. A saloon located withe the playground is today. John (or Jeff) St. Marie owned a touring car and gave rides to local children.
Interview with Checker Hillman. Checker Hillman was born in Two Harbors in 1911. His maternal grandmother was Irish. His maternal grandfather, William LaBeau (LeBeau), was French and he left home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a young teenager. Family history claims a relative traveled the Great Lakes in "the big canoes," to Grand Portage and Fort William, possibly a voyageur. William and his wife traveled by wagon from Duluth to Tower, Minnesota where their son, William LaBeau, Jr., was born in 1883 - he was the first white child born north of Duluth. William (Sr.) worked for Bob Whiteside as a driller with a team of several men that traveled by canoe form Tower to the Ely area to explore for ore. William never worked as a miner, but he did work as a fireman, the chief of police in Ely, and a policeman for the Oliver Mine. Checker's father, who worked for the D & IRR, died of an unknown illness when Checker was very young. Checker, his two younger sisters, and his mother went to live with his maternal grandparents. Checker discusses early Ely. There was an influx of immigrants after iron ore was discovered in the Ely area, mostly Finnish and Slovenian with Cornish mine bosses. The adult immigrants segregated themselves, but their children later intermarried. Checker discusses mining. There were no unions in the early days. There were safety issues, i.e. workers wore soft hats, no hard-toed boots. The candles and later carbide lamps provided poor light. Conditions in the mines varied. For example, the Pioneer Mine had many mud slides due to the wet, soft, ground conditions. The Zenith Mine, which had harder ground, didn't have issues with mud slides. Techniques ranged from "drifing and slicing" at the Pioneer Mine to "cave" mining at the Zenith Mine. Augers could be used in softer ground (auger ground) instead of drilling with bits. Checker recounts two fatal accidents in the Zenith Mine. One man was killed when an overhead slab fell on him. Mines were like small communities with teams of men doing various jobs: drillers, tuggers, maintenance, electricians, and so on. Underground miners worked in two-man teams. Checker started working about age 15 or 16 at the Pioneer Mine stock pile for $2.50 for a 10-hour day. Older workers could make $3.50 per day. When he started working in the Xenith Mine in the late 1930s or early 1940s, there was no union. As the union began to organize he was reluctant to join because he had promised an uncle and the mine superintendent, Ben Richards, that he wouldn't. He was pressured by a union organizer, George Kochevar, to join, and did eventually - one of the last to sign up.
Interview with Mary Anderson. Mary Anderson was born on Burntside Lake. Her mother was an Objiwe (sometimes called Chippewa) who was born on the Indian Reservation near Tower, Minnesota, the Bois Forte Indian Reservation. Her father, who was French and Irish, was born in Norway, Michigan. When her father was 14 his family moved to Tower. Mary said her parents each had to learn the other's language. Mary explained about how her father's family never accepted his Native American wife.
Interview with Urho Hokkanen. Urho was born in Finland in 1909. His family immigrated to America in 1913. His father first arrived in America in 1905, but returned to Finland in 1908, and left again in 1910 for America. They traveled from Helsinki to Copenhagen and on to Hull, England and then caught a White Star ship in Liverpool arriving in Quebec, Canada before making his way to northern Minnesota. His father worked in the lumber camps and occasionally in the Section 30 or Zenith Mine. Urho Hokkanen attended the Winton, Minnesota school through the 8th grade and then graduated high school in Ely. He traveled around a while after high school, but came back to Winton because his mother was so lonely for him. He spent one winter in a lumber camp on the North Shore of Lake Superior and then was hired at the Pioneer Mine in Ely. Urho talks about working in the underground mine, cave-ins and mud slides, the Great Depression and its affect on the area, unionization of the mines, and what he did after the Pioneer Mine closed in 1967.
