In the first part of the recording, Thomas Miller discusses constructing a county road between Bemidji and Fosston; the establishment of Pinewood; early Pinewood businesses; helping build the railroad between Bagley and Shevlin; and operating a sawmill with his dad. In the second part of the recording, Walter L. Brooks discusses what originally brought him to Bemidji; his childhood; playing football for the University of Wisconsin at Madison; how he got his first job in a bank; how he got a promotion at the bank; taking a new job at Northwestern National Bank in Minneapolis; a co-worker embezzling funds and implicating him; moving to the First National Bank; hearing about the job at Bemidji; how rough early Bemidji was; the early bank building; his home in early Bemidji; early bank operations; cashing time checks for lumberjacks; trying to encourage lumberjacks to save money; extending credit to saloonkeepers; how well lumberjacks treated his wife; Charlie Miles' automobile getting stuck in the sand; when gambling closed in Bemidji; when the saloons closed in Bemidji; an agreement with the Crookston Lumber Company to cover their excess taxes; boats on Lake Bemidji; and keeping horses. The interview was recorded on December 10, 1952.
This sound clip highlights Bendix and Amelia (Anderson) Holdahl of Roseau. The Roseau County Historical Society prepared this radio script to share county history through broadcasts on KJ102 FM in Roseau. The topics highlight the history of Roseau County and the people that lived there.
