The discussion with a group of unidentified narrators was conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on an unrecorded date in an unrecorded location. The group of unidentified narrators discusses sawmills, saloons, railroads, logging, lumber companies, and mail delivery in near Bemidji, Minnesota in the early 1900s. They also discuss how to scale a tree and a location called Brush Shanty near Alvwood, Minnesota.
The first interview is with Josie Hanson Saltnes, and was conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on an unrecorded date in an unrecorded location. Josie Hanson Saltnes discusses teaching at the Park School in Solway, Minnesota in 1907 and 1908, then Foy, Minnesota in about 1909 to 1912, and again at Foy in 1915 or 1916. She describes boarding with neighbors and getting mail delivered by stage from Blackduck, Minnesota. She also describes several photographs including a picnic and a school photo. She also describes interactions between white settlers and Ojibwe people, including how Ojibwe people camped near the store in Foy and interacted with white people on the reservation. The interview is continued from BCHS 072a. Late in the interview, an unidentified man describes traveling to a homestead without enough provisions, with a companion who gets drunk and freezes to the bottom of a boat. He also discusses Bridgie, Minnesota. The second interview is with an unidentified man, called Bill late in the recording. The unidentified narrator discusses traveling to Bagley, Minnesota in 1897 or 1898. He also discusses logging for Jim Sherry and caring for his team. He also describes running a general store and interacting with loggers.
Claud Fish discusses moving to Buffalo and Deer River, Minnesota in 1881 and 1898, respectively. He discusses homesteading, logging, laying railroads, and farming. He describes mail delivery by moose and horses that were killed on the railroad. He discusses how Koochiching County split from Itasca County. He also describes the Itasca Lumber Company, J. P. Sims, and a variety of railway lines. The interview continues in BCHS 070b, BCHS 069a, and concludes in BCHS 071a.
The first interview, with Claud Fish, was conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on May 27, 1955, in an unrecorded location. Fish describes a series of photographs from near Northome, Minnesota including at Bowstring Lake and his homestead on Island Lake. He discusses laying railroad lines, the Itasca Logging Company, and J. P. Sims. He also discusses how Ojibwe people lived and processed wild rice near Island Lake. The interview is the fourth in the series, continuing from BCHS 070a, BCHS 070b, and BCHS 069a. The second part of the recording is an interview with Emma Knutson [Mrs. Mike Knutson], conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on July 2, 1955, in an unrecorded location. Knutson discusses arriving in Big Fork, Minnesota in 1902. She describes toting goods by foot and later traveling by train. She also describes mail delivery by dog team from Marcell, Minnesota. The third part of the recording is a discussion with a group of unidentified narrators, conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on an unrecorded date in an unrecorded location. The group of unidentified narrators discuss logging in northern Minnesota around 1900. They discuss the Clearwater Logging Company's camp near Pinewood, Minnesota. They also discuss the Bagley dam, timber sales, and how T. B. Walker acquired his timber holdings. This portion of the recording continues on BCHS 071b. The final portion of the recording is an interview with an unidentified narrator (possibly referred to as Charlie in BCHS 071b), conducted by an unidentified interviewer, possibly Dr. Charles Vandersluis, on an unrecorded date in an unrecorded location. The unidentified narrator discusses how a logging company would prepare its ox teams in St. Cloud, Minnesota to go up north in the 1880s. He also discusses the tornado at St. Cloud, Minnesota on April 14, 1886. This portion of the recording continues on BCHS 071b.
The interview with Harriet Villemin (Mrs. Alex) Cameron was conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis in December 1953. Mrs. Cameron discusses leaving her homestead cabin near Northome, Minnesota and arriving in Blackduck, Minnesota. She also discusses herding cattle, cutting hay, and attending a wedding. She describes early religious services, mail delivery, and teachers near Bemidji, Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interview is a continuation from BCHS 054a. An additional interview is recorded in BCHS 103a.
The interview with John Van House was conducted by Dr. Charles Vandersluis on an unrecorded date in an unrecorded location, probably Kelliher, Minnesota. Van House discusses living in Kelliher starting in 1906. He discusses logging, sawmills, and early mail delivery. He also describes development of the water and sewer system and an electric light plant. He describes fighting a fire at a local church. The interview is continued from BCHS 059a.
