Interviewer
Suzanne M. Vernon
Files
Description
Al Wise shares a number of colorful anecdotes about his life from living in Illinois until he was married, then moving to the Swan Valley in Montana in 1932 for employment. He recalls homesteading there with his family and making ends meet by working as a logger, sawmill operator and U.S. Forest Service fire lookout. Wise describes how each of these jobs were performed in the Northwest during the mid-20th century. He discusses helping to establish a church in the Swan Valley and his involvement within the homesteading community. Wise also talks about navigating the Swan Valley terrain before roads and other transportation networks were established.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Swan Valley, Montana; Homesteading, Montana; Logging, Montana; Sawmills, Montana; U.S. Forest Service; Forest fires; Fire lookout; Churches, Montana; Roads; Transportation
Original Date
5-26-1999
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Upper Swan Valley Oral History Project, OH 422, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 422-022, 023
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
2 sound cassettes (02:00:00 min.) analog + 1 transcript (16 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
02:03:48 minutes
Local Filename
OH_422_022_023.mp3; OH_422_022_023.pdf
Citation
Wise, Al, "Al Wise Interview, May 26, 1999" (1999). Upper Swan Valley Oral History Project. 5.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/upperswanvalley_oralhistory/5