This is a collection of stand-alone interviews pulled together by Archives and Special Collections around the topic of Montana communities. The interviewees describe life in specific towns and geographic areas such as Missoula, Alberton, Frenchtown, and Seeley Lake, discuss some of the founding members of those areas, and detail particular aspects of those places such as school districts, churches, businesses, and diversity. These interviews were conducted from 1966 to 2009. The original interviews are held at Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula.
This collection includes 35 interviews.
-
Alexander George Interview, March 12, 1986
Alexander George
Alexander George discusses the historical context that led to the boom of Greek immigrants in the United States during the early twentieth century. He describes his family history, detailing how his father immigrated in the United States in 1909 and moved to Missoula for a ... Read More
-
Anne Slones Runyon Interview, April 5, 1983
Anne Runyon
Anne Slones Runyon discusses her memories of her children and her siblings and details the history of Alberton and Lothrop, Montana. She recalls living in Alberton, Montana, during the fire of 1910 and how the townspeople prepared for the fire. She details the end of ... Read More
-
Arlene Bateman Interview, April 10, 1994
Arlene Bateman
Arlene Bateman discusses growing up during the Great Depression and her life experiences during World War Two. She describes her early life in North Dakota, moving to Missoula, Montana, when she was 12 years old, and becoming involved in forest recreation as a teenager. Bateman ... Read More
-
Arthur Deschamps Interview, August 27, 1991
Arthur Deschamps
Arthur Deschamps describes the history of Frenchtown, Montana. He discusses his distant French-Canadian ancestors, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, missionary work in Frenchtown, and the discovery of gold in Montana.
-
Arthur J. Mosby Interview, circa 1960s
Arthur J. Mosby
Arthur J. Mosby, the husband of Ruth Greenough, discusses the history of the Greenough Mansion and talks about efforts to move the mansion to the Leisure Highlands Golf Course, in Missoula, Montana’s South Hills community, for restoration and use as a clubhouse and events venue. ... Read More
-
Arthur Lemuel "Mutt" Mowatt Interview, June 28, 1994
Arthur Lemuel Mowatt
Lemuel “Mutt” Mowatt speaks on his family history throughout the United States of America, dating back four generations to his great grandparents. He speaks on his father’s business ventures in Victor, Montana, ranging from a hotel to a saloon to a real estate business. He ... Read More
-
Carling I. Malouf Interview, March 17, 1988
Carling I. Malouf
Carling I. Malouf, former professor of archaeology at the University of Montana-Missoula, discusses his role in the research and preservation of Fort Owen as an archaeological site. He explains how archaeologists and historians were able to trace the outlines of the fort by studying journals, ... Read More
-
Carmelita Stokan Interview, March 24, 1986
Carmelita Stokan
Carmelita Stokan describes growing up during the 1920s and ’30 and moving from town to town in Washington and Montana with her family. She recalls how her childhood was particularly difficult and how she had to help support her family during the Great Depression. Stokan ... Read More
-
Caryl Wickes-Connick Interview, March 27, 2006
Caryl Wickes-Connick
Caryl Wickes-Connick discusses the creation of the Battered Women Shelter in Missoula, Montana. She describes the relationship between the Young Women Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.) and the shelter, the shift in police procedure in regards to spousal abuse, and how the shelter helped with educating the ... Read More
-
Cecile M. Carleton Interview, March 13, 1990
Cecile M. Carleton
Cecile Carleton talks about her childhood in and around Butte, Montana, as the daughter of a Protestant Irish miner. She discusses the lack of educational opportunities for girls when she was a child, as well as her father’s view that she didn’t need more than ... Read More
-
Charles Campbell Lecture, April 2000
Charles Campbell
Charles Campbell gives a brief lecture on his childhood up in Bonner, Montana, during the 1920s and 1930s. He explains that Bonner was an Anaconda Copper Mining Company [ACM] town, with a company store, gardens, and housing. Campbell recalls the various businesses and services in ... Read More
-
Ed Gallagher Interview, 1977
Ed Gallagher
Ed Gallagher describes the recent creation of the Fort Missoula Historical Museum. He describes how the museum was founded, with the help of the U.S. military, Missoula County, citizens of Missoula, and the Western Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society. He describes the Museum’s plans for ... Read More
-
Ed W. Radloff Interview, September 1983
Ed W. Radloff
Ed Radloff reminisces about people and events in Missoula, Montana, during his careers as a journalist, theater operator, and small businessman. He talks at length about William Jennings Bryan and the Scopes Monkey Trial.
-
Elizabeth Hershey Fry Interview, September 20, 1994
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Hershey Fry discusses her how her grandfather moved to Montana after fighting in the American Civil War. She describes growing up in Missoula, Montana and visiting other areas of Montana, including Polson and Bull Island, during the early twentieth century. She recalls eating at ... Read More
-
Eunice Morris Brown Interview, September 28, 1995
Eunice Morris Brown
Eunice Brown discusses growing up in the Potomac Valley in Montana. She recalls her happy childhood and her early education, which was delayed by a two-year long case of rheumatic fever. She talks about going to Normal College in Dillon, Montana where she worked numerous ... Read More
-
Franklin Rutherford Interview, January 29, 1985
Franklin Rutherford
Franklin Rutherford, whose father managed the Missoula power plant, lived with the Missoula architect, A. J. Gibson and his family, for four years after his mother died. Rutherford recounts Gibson’s various activities, such as his investments, cars, travels and the boarders in the Gibson house. ... Read More
-
Gertrude Rognlie Interview, November 26, 1994
Gertrude Rognlie
Gertrude Rognlie talks about growing up in Somers, Montana, during the 1920s and 1930s. She recalls what it was like living in a company town and what happened to the town after the Somers Lumber Company closed. Rognlie discusses the impacts of the Hungry Horse ... Read More
-
Harvey Connole Interview, September 5, 1978
Harvey Connole
Harvey Connole, who worked at the Clark Mansion in Butte, Montana, talks about his acquaintance with “Copper King” and Montana politician William. A. Clark and Clark’s son, William. A. Clark, Jr. Connole describes seeing Clark, Sr. shortly before his death, and how the mansion’s cook ... Read More
-
Jim Piquette Interview, February 16, 1989
Jim Piquette
Jim Piquette discusses growing up in Missoula, Montana during the early 20th century. He describes working as a newspaper boy, his experiences in the School of Mines in Butte, Montana, and panning for gold in Garnet, Montana.
-
Joe Boyer Interview, circa 1978
Joe Boyer
Joe Boyer talks about the early families, including his own, who settled in the Frenchtown Valley, Montana. He recalls the history of settlement in the area. Boyer also describes working for the United States Forest Service.
-
Justin Armintrout Interview, May 13, 2009
Justin Armintrout
Justin Armintrout discusses the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual (GLBTQIA+) community of Missoula, Montana. Armintrout describes his experiences within the community from 1994 to 2009 and the creation of OutSpoken, a monthly newspaper dedicated to GLBTQIA+ issues in Montana.
... Read More -
Laurence Driscoll Interview, December 11, 1979
Laurence Driscoll
Laurence Driscoll describes the town of D'Aste, Montana, which was established in 1910 on a 160 acre homestead plot and consisted mostly of a store, school, pool hall and the mission church. Driscoll recalls the ties between D’Aste and the towns of Ronan and St. ... Read More
-
Lillian Kirkemo Interview, July 8, 1984
Lillian Kirkemo
Lillian Kirkemo describes her life growing up in Plains, Montana. She recalls living on a farm, living in small towns in Montana, before moving to Missoula, Montana. She describes working at the Rialto Theatre where she met her husband, architect H.E. Kirkemo; then living in ... Read More
-
Manx Skillicorn Interview, June 4, 2009
Manx Skillicorn
Manx Skillicorn describes growing up in Bonner, Montana, and attending the Woodworth School. He discusses working as a scaler for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company’s logging operation in Thompson Falls, Montana, and the Camp 9 areas of Montana. Manx talks about parties at Cozy Corner ... Read More
-
Marie D'Orazi Giles Interview, May 21, 1990
Marie Giles
Marie D’Orazi Giles discusses her family history and life in Missoula, Montana, during the 20th century, beginning with her father Giovanni D’Orazi’s immigration to the United States in 1906. She talks about her family’s strong connection to art and her own artistic abilities, which was ... Read More