Mr. and Mrs. Albert Swanson were life-long residents of Wahsington County, MN. Both were born in the vicinity of Afton, and they farmed near Afton for many years. In this interview, the Swansons describe in some detail the village of Afton, its buinesses, and churches. They also discuss farming and farm life, Mr. Swanson's service in the First World War, and the Hastings-Stillwater railroad line which ran through Afton.

Mrs. Clara Larrieu was born in 1884 in the Spring Valley, Wisconsin, area, before the establishment of the Village of Spring Valley. She was, at the time of this interview, the oldest living Spring Valley resident, and she has many valuable recollections concerning the rapid growth of the community during the 1890's and the iron minine and smelting industries which contributed to the town's rapid growth at the turn of the century. Mrs. Larrieu also supplies some information about lumbering operations in the area.

The interview provides a lively description of Spring Valley as a mining "boom" tmm complete with imported labor, and thirteen saloons. In addition, Mrs. Larrieu details biographical infonnat ion about her husband who held various jobs in the Spring Valley area, including work in a veneering mill, in a lumber mill, and as a Spring Valley postal worker from 1917-1951.

Mr. Balfanz, a child of German immigrants raised in Rock Elm, discusses his hometown and the changes he has seen over the years. He details his US Army experiences while stationed on the Mexican border in 1918. He also talks about his schooling and the various jobs he has worked.