Abe Orbuch was born in a small town in Poland near the Russian border. He fled Poland at 21 to avoid conscription into the Russian military, settling in St. Paul. He bought a Model-T Ford and traveled to small towns outside of St. Paul where he sold fruit. He formed friendships with many in the Polish community in Foley and commuted to a poultry business he owned there for over forty years. He bought chickens, eggs and veal from Foley farmers and sold them sugar, flour and twine.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Boy Scout group marching in Norse-American Centennial parade in New York. Carl O. Pedersen was influential in setting up Norse-American Centennial celebrations across the country.
Boy Scout Troop 248 marching the the Norse-American Centennial parade in New York City. Carl O. Pedersen's influence in organizing the Norse-American Centennial celebration spanned from New York to Minnesota, as well as other parts of the country.
Agnes Suudheim (left) and Alfrida Hoff (right) appeared as two of the brides to be carried away by the young immigrants in the Pageant of the Northman.
Children marching in the Norse-American Centennial parade in New York. Carl O. Pedersen was an important figure in setting up events during this parade and other celebrations across the country.
Panoramic view of many people dressed in uniforms and suits and carrying flags and banners in support of Croatia independence. The people are posed in front of and along the front of the property of the Assumption Hall Catholic School in Hibbing, Minnesota. On the left portion of the photograph is the Hibbing High School and panning to the right is a trailer with a banner attached that reads: "Croatia Must Be Free and Independent." In the center of the photograph a banner reads: "Hrvatski Domobran Defenders of Croatia". On the right portion of the photograph is the Keewatin City Band. Photo is undated.
Young Asian men from a Young Men's Christian Association English class for immigrants, sitting and standing on the steps of the Minneapolis Central Branch Y. M. C. A. building located at 10th Street and Mary Place.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Kautz Family YMCA Archives
A group holding American flags in the Norse-American Centennial parade in New York. Carl O. Pedersen, a Norwegian-born Lutheran clergyman, was influential in organizing these celebrations across the country.
Group portrait of the Bygdelagenes Faellesraad (Counsel of the Bygdelags), St. Paul, Minnesota. Included in the portrait is Pastor L. M. Gimmestad (President), T.A. Walby (Vice-President), and Eilev O. Bakke (Secretary).
Hmong Cultural Center staff are pictured at the Hmong Resource Fair. Staff member Mark Pfeifer and citizenship teacher Ron Mazurowski are in the photograph.
Hmong Cultural Center's information table at the Hmong Resource Fair. Staff members Mark Pfeifer and Txongpao Lee are in the photograph along with Kazoua Kong Thao of the Saint Paul School Board.
Hmong Cultural Center is pictured at the Hmong New Year at the Metrodome. Representatives from the Center's Dance and Qeej programs march with the Center's banner.
Hmong Cultural Center's Banquet is pictured. Included in the photograph are the Center's Board members Khue Yang and Sean Lee and Xiong Pao Lee, a founder of the Center.
Interview with the wife of Albert Angel. She tells of him immigrating from Wales to Brainerd where he worked in the Northern pacific shops and then started his own business. This interview is part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Crow Wing County during the years 1936-1939. This outreach effort sought to record personal accounts of the lives of early Crow Wing County pioneers and settlers.
Interview with Ervin Anderson, son of Charles Anderson. He relates how his parents immigrated from Sweden, his dad working in the logging industry, and started up the Rocky Point resort. This interview is part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Crow Wing County during the years 1936-1939. This outreach effort sought to record personal accounts of the lives of early Crow Wing County pioneers and settlers.
Interview with Hulda Johnson, daughter of John Bloom. She gives a brief history of her father's life, who emigrated from Sweden. This interview is part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Crow Wing County during the years 1936-1939. This outreach effort sought to record personal accounts of the lives of early Crow Wing County pioneers and settlers.
Interview with Albert Anderson. He relates how he immigrated from Norway, worked in the Northern Pacific railroad shops in Brainerd, and was a fireman. This interview is part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Crow Wing County during the years 1936-1939. This outreach effort sought to record personal accounts of the lives of early Crow Wing County pioneers and settlers.
Interview with Carl W. Anderson. He relates that his parents immigrated from Sweden, he worked for the Northern Pacific railroad, and later opened a business office supply business. This interview is part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Crow Wing County during the years 1936-1939. This outreach effort sought to record personal accounts of the lives of early Crow Wing County pioneers and settlers.
Born in 1924 in Athens, Greece, Chris Effrem came to the United States in the early 1950s. He was a millwork designer and wood carver in Minneapolis, completing over 100,000 carvings for churches. He worked at the University of Minnesota, Aaron Carlson Company, and several furniture and millwork companies before opening his own shop and school, teaching over 5000 students.
Interview with Cy Thao in which he describes his work as a former Minnesota State Representative, his efforts as a Hmong business entrepreneur and artist and a co-founder of the Center for Hmong Arts and Talents.
Interview with Dr. Chia Youyee Vang in which she describes her work as a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and as the author of ""Reconstructing Community in Diaspora"" and ""Hmong in Minnesota.""
Interview with Dr. Yang Dao in which he discusses his work as an educator and his efforts to earn a PhD. He also discusses his work as a member of the National Political Consultive Council of Laos.
Audio file of an interview with Esther Sirott and Ethel Levy conducted by Steve Foldes and Shirley Milgren. Esther Sirott was born in Lithuania and settled with her father and brothers on lower West Side of St. Paul. Ethel Levy was born in Iowa and lived briefly on the West Side of St Paul before moving with her family to a dairy farm where her father hired out as a tenant farmer. In the interview, the women discuss life on the West Side of St Paul, including employment opportunities for Jews, Jewish Socialists, keeping kosher, Jewish neighborhoods and social strata and the meaning of Yiddishkite. The interview is part of the United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project, Phase 1. The location of the interview is unknown: the interviewers are Steve Foldes (SF) and Shirley Milgram (SM).A PDF version of the transcript available at http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/pdf-assets/jhs-sirott-levy.pdf
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Fred Anderson was born in 1907 in Sweden. He came to the United States in 1926. He initially worked as a painter of homes and churches, specializing in stencil work and marbling technique. In 1948 he opened his own wallpaper and paint store in St. Louis Park.
Interview with Harland Steintl. Harland was born in Osakis, Minnesota on September 10, 1903. His parents were Vincent and Augusta (Kamp) Steintl. His father came from Austria and his mother came from Malmo, Sweden. His maternal grandfather was a Guard of Honor for King Gustavus Adolphus and his grandmother was a Swedish princess. His parents settled near Scriven and Spruce Hill. He recalls the boat, ""Tunxis,"" on Lake Osakis. This boat was used to transport wood from north end of lake to the train. This boat was later used for lake excursions. Harland goes on to discuss life on Lake Osakis and businesses in Osakis.
Hilding Anderson was born in 1905 in Sundsvall, Sweden. Working as a farmer in Sweden, he came to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in 1926 with the help of his mother's cousin. He worked for 40 years at Ohleen Dairy until he retired, serving for 27 years as a milkman along Lake Street.
Beginning in 1998, the City of Duluth (Minn.) Sister Cities Commission collaborated with the Iron Range Research Center to record a series of oral history interviews. Independent scholar Dr. JoAnn Hanson-Stone acted as the lead interviewer. The voluntary, self-selecting participants were second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents settled in northeast Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interviews were initiated to create supplementary material for a planned exhibit, "A Long Way Home: Swedish Immigrant Life in Duluth and Northeast Minnesota, 1890-1940."
Interview with Ka Zoua Kong-Thao in which she discusses her work with the St. Paul Board of Education, as founder and President of the Hmong Education and Resources Today organization and as Chief Operations office at the Hmong Community School of Excellence.
