Will Swanson (1947-) grew up in Minnesota and studied ceramics, art and design at the University of Minnesota. After working at Fairview Hospital for fifteen years, Swanson married Janel Jacobson and began making pottery full-time at their home studio in Sunrise Township, Minnesota. He also helped co-found the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. Janel Jacobson (1950-) grew up in various parts of Minnesota and studied ceramics at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa before establishing her own studio in the St. Croix Valley. After graduating, she studied studio pottery techniques with renowned Bauhaus artist Marguerite Wildenhain, but soon adopted her own style of carving small sculptures in clay. In 1995, Janel stopped carving in stoneware and porcelain and began using wood. In this interview, Swanson and Jacobson discuss their respective childhoods; ceramics education; connections to the local and national pottery communities; and 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.