Lewis & Clark, Sakakawea, Custer,

Sitting Bull, and Theodore Roosevelt

have all left footprints here. 

Now I Have, too. 

"I AM LEGENDARY."

Dunn County Historical Society Oral History Project

Is Making History

Many residents or former residents of Dunn County have been interviewed. The primary focus of the Oral History Project is to record and document as many oral histories as possible, from persons age 65 and over, with direct connections to Dunn County.

As of late 2011, Debi Biffert resigned from her position as Oral Historian for the Dunn County Historical Society, and Deb Lancaster is now continuing on with the project. Gail Lynch, who, from the beginning, had assisted with printing and binding the oral histories, has retired from that duty. The Museum now has the capability for Deb Lancaster to do the printing and binding in house. The Dunn County Historical Society appreciates the magnificent work and dedication Gail and Debi have given to this project. Debi feels blessed and treasures the times spent with so many wonderful people. Deb Lancaster is looking forward to meeting with many additional Dunn County folks and adding their interviews to the collection. The Dunn County Historical Society thanks all those interviewed for blessing us with such wonderful memoirs!

Interview Info: If you, or anyone you know, would like to be interviewed for the Oral History Project, please contact Deb Lancaster at 701-260-1650. She will be happy to go over details of what the interview entails, and will schedule a time at your convenience. Individuals, couples or siblings are welcome. Deb travels the surrounding area to nursing homes or residences, and can also do the interview over the telephone, if the narrator no longer lives in Dunn County. Photographs, brands, and family trees are now being included in the books being done.

Oral History Books:Once the interview is transcribed, the narrator recieves a free copy of a book containing the interview transcription and supporting material. A copy is also archived in the Museum's collection, along with the original tapes of the conversation. Family members or friends may want to purchase additional copies of the book; those are available at $20.00 and up, depending on the number of photographs included. Reprints of any of the oral history books can be made.

Compact Discs: Deb now has the capability to convert the original cassette tapes into compact discs. Discs can be made of  any of the interviews, from the beginning of the project in 2005, through the current time. This enables family to hear the voice of the person being interviewed, which can add a great deal, especially if the person has passed away. Compact disc are $15.00 and up, depending on the length of the interview.

All books and compact discs can be mailed for an additional charge.

Please contact Deb Lancaster directly, by phone at 701-260-1650, or by e-mail at debdakota9291@yahoo.com, for oral history book / cd purchases, or with any questions concerning the project.

ORAL HISTORY BOOKS AND CD'S
MAKE GREAT GIFTS!!!

***************************

Oral Histories Completed

Most are on display at the Museum.

   Allmendinger, William “Bill” - Dodge, North Dakota

                           Bandle, Margaret Brandvik - Killdeer, North Dakota

   Bang, Blanche (Johnson) - Dickinson, North Dakota - (Killdeer)

   The Bell Children - Gunwall, Norene (Bell); Ritz, Lelah Bell);                           Henderson, Doris (Bell); & Bell, Leo Orson - Killdeer, North Dakota 

   Benson, Edwin - Twin Buttes, North Dakota - (Halliday)

   Bergstedt, Lillian (Schaper) - Hazen, North Dakota - (Halliday)

    Biffert, Norman James - Halliday, North Dakota     

Photo coming        Brew, Roger and Linda - Manning, North Dakota

     soon.

   Brown, Winnifred (Goth) - Mandan, North Dakota - (Dunn Center)

   Buresh, Robert & Margaret (Petryszak)- Rural Manning, North Dakota

  Carlson, Grant - Killdeer, ND 

  Chase, Lydia (Sage) - New Town, North Dakoa (Twin Buttes)

     Cook, Cecil “Bud” - Werner, North Dakota

   Dahlen, Anna Marie (Moen) & Antonson, Ruth (Moen)

   Halliday, North Dakota (Sisters)

  No

     photo            Darcy, Pat & Evelyn (Schield) - Golden Valley, North Dakota

    available

   Darwin, Ed & Alice (Nodland) - Killdeer, North Dakota

No

     photo             Dinkins, Paul & Beryl (Odren) - Dunn Center, North Dakota

    available

   Dvirnak, Elmer & Kay (Fannik)- Killdeer, North Dakota

   Dvirnak, John & Alice (Fannik) - Killdeer, North Dakota

No

     photo            Edwards, Thomas James - Killdeer, North Dakota

    available

   Fenton, Thelma Louise (Edwards) - Killdeer, North Dakota

   Fiegel, Frankie Herman - Halliday, North Dakota 

No

     photo            Fischer, William "Buster" - Killdeer, North Dakota

    available

    Fisher, Agnes - Manning, North Dakota                                                   

   Fisher, George & Cora (Reum) - Halliday, ND

   Frafford, Solway “Sally” - Dickinson, North Dakota - (Halliday)

       No

     photo             Fredericks, John “Buzz” & Judy - Twin Buttes, North Dakota

    available

      No

     photo            Fredericks, Pete & Sylvia - Twin Buttes, North Dakota

    available

   Frei, Anna (Weidner) - Halliday, North Dakota

No

     photo             Gehrman, Walter "Pete" - Dunn Center, North Dakota

    available                

    Gjermundson, Eva Carlson - Taylor, North Dakota   (Halliday) 

  Photo soon         Gleich, Pius - Great Falls, Montana    (Dodge)

   Gunwall, John & Julia (Schwindt) - Manning, North Dakota 

     No

     photo            Haag, Casper & Irene - Richardton, North Dakota

    available

    Hansen, Mary (Brandt) - Dunn Center, North Dakota - (Werner) 

   Hauck, Adam & Millie (Doll) - Richardton, North Dakota

   (Marshall & South Dunn County)

   Hauck, Rosella (Nodland) - Killdeer, ND (Werner/Dunn Center)

    Haugen, Adalyne “Toody” – Killdeer, North Dakota 

   Hovden, Elsworth & Philomena - Killdeer, North Dakota

    Photo coming    Hutmacher, Alex and Karen - Dickinson, North Dakota  (Fayette)

     Jepson, Wilbur - Killdeer, ND

   Jurgens, Leota (Jacobs, Perhus) - Halliday/Marshall, North Dakota

  Kelling, Mamie (Fisher) Random - Killdeer, North Dakota

   Kisse, Almont (Emil) – Dickinson, North Dakota – (Halliday) 

   Kisse, Esther - Halliday - (Hazen) 

   Kittilson, Clair - Dunn Center, ND

   Klee, Esther (Dahlen) – Halliday, North Dakota – (Taylor/Werner)

   Klee, Matthew Carl - Halliday, ND

  Kling, Florence - Dunn Center, ND

   Knopik, Hubert Charles - Dickinson, ND (Manning) 

   Knopik, Martin - Dickinson, ND (Manning)

   Knutson, Bethol (Olson) – Killdeer, North Dakota 

 Knutson, Rueben and Phyllis - Dunn Center / Killdeer, ND

  Kralicek, Tony & Bertha "Beth" (Ficek) - Manning, North Dakota 

No

     photo             Kukla, Walt & Ardis (Kittilson) - Killdeer / Dunn Center, North Dakota

    available

No

     photo             Larsen, Sydney (Bailey) - Killdeer, North Dakota

    available

No

     photo           Leintz, Christine - Halliday, North Dakota

    available

   Loeffelbein, Fred & Helen (Fisher) - Halliday, North Dakota 

  Photo coming

       soon              Luttrell, Elvera (Madsen) - Vancouver, Washington

                                (formerly of Dunn Center, North Dakota)

  Lynch, Kathryn (Dvirnak) - Dunn Center, North Dakota

  Martin, Dorothy (Petersen) – Killdeer, North Dakota

   McConnell, Kathryn (Martian) - Killdeer, ND - (Dunn Center)

   McMahen, Helen - Dunn Center, North Dakota

   Meduna, Jerry & Frances (Knopik)- Manning, North Dakota 

  Photo soon        Meier, Josephine (Abfalder) (Keller) - Dickinson, North Dakota

                                                   (Hirschville & rural central Dunn County)

No

     photo             Mittelstadt, Beverly, (Hartman) - Killdeer, North Dakota

    available

   Mittelstedt, Emma Rose Kind (Weisenberger) - Dickinson, ND

   Photo coming

         soon.                         Mjolhus, Irene - Dunn Center, ND

No

     photo            Myran, Henry Thomas - Taylor, North Dakota (Southern Dunn County)

    available

                           Neal, Betty (Twist) - Manning, North Dakota

   Nordahl, Ann (Gregory) - Dickinson, ND  - (Halliday)

    Nordsven, Elmer - Werner, North Dakota - (Halliday)

  O'Neil, Owen  - Killdeer, ND

   Pelton, Aagot (Vetleson) - Dickinson, North Dakota - (Werner)

   Pelton, Dorotha "Dot" - Killdeer, North Dakota (Oakdale)

   Regeth, Henry - Manning, North Dakota   

  Photo coming     Roll, Allen and Ione - Dunn Center, North Dakota

      soon.

  Photo coming    Rohde, Clarence and Ida - Halliday, North Dakota

     soon.

   Sand, Robert & Edna (Nupen) - Dunn Center, North Dakota – (Killdeer) 

   Sandvick, Thorris & Lynell - Killdeer, North Dakota 

                              Schaper, Sig & Luella (Wolf) - Halliday, North Dakota

Photo coming       Schmidt, George and Joy (Sjkefte) - Killdeer, North Dakota

         soon                        (formerly of Dunn Center, North Dakota)

Schmidt, Guenther - Langley, Washington - (Fayette, ND) 

   Schollmeyer, Alfred & Joe - Dunn Center, North Dakota 

   Schollmeyer, Angie - Dunn Center, North Dakota - (Killdeer) 

   Schweitzer, Joe - Halliday, North Dakota – (Dodge) 

  Seidel, Lorraine (Troxel) - Halliday, North Dakota

  Smith, Emogene (Cusson) & Gehrman, Walter “Pete”

   Dunn Center, North Dakota

   Spelevoy, Gladys - Manning, North Dakota   

  Steffen, Elsie (Mohl) - Halliday, North Dakota

   Steffen, Louis Henry - Halliday, North Dakota

                          Stetson, Theola - Rapid City, SD (Manning and Taylor, ND)

  Stohler, Oscar & Lorraine – Dunn Center/Halliday, North Dakota  

  Swenson, Alton - Halliday, North Dakota 

  Sword, Martha (Krieger) – Dunn Center, North Dakota 

Photo coming      Thompson, Rodney and Adeline - Dunn Center, North Dakota

      soon

   Transtrom, Edna (Rasch) - Halliday, North Dakota 

   Photo coming      Twist, David - Manning, North Dakota

  Wetsch, Florence Mae (Edwards) - Killdeer, North Dakota 

   Vaagen, Anne (Roberts) – Dunn Center, North Dakota – (Werner)

                              Voigt, Dawne Dahlen - Mandan, North Dakota

                                 (Formerly of Werner, North Dakota)

The following oral histories are in various stages of completion. Missing photos will be posted as soon as possible.

   Benz, Ruby (Hausauer) - Dunn Center, North Dakota 

             Brinkman, Curt and Madella (Grevious Kruckenberg) - Dodge, North Dakota

                                    in progress      

            Brown, Grant and Linda - Dunn Center, North Dakota

                                      in progress

   Burr, Evan Jr. - Twin Buttes, North Dakota

                           Dukart, Elizabeth - Killdeer, North Dakota

                                        in progress

                           Ferebee, Cliff and Marion - Halliday, North Dakota

                                         in progress

                          Franchuk, Genevieve Hushka Knopik  - Southwestern Dunn County

                                       in progress

                           Grevious, Gerald - Golden Valley, North Dakota (Killdeer)

                                         in progress

                           Hauck, Paul and Magdalena - Richardton, North Dakota (Marshall)

                                           in progress

                          Hanson, Alma and Robert - Killdeer, North Dakota

                                          in progress

                          Hartman, Roy - Manning & Fayette, North Dakota

                                              in progress

                           Huebert, Violet (Odren) - Redmond, Oregon

                                 (Formerly of Dunn Center, North Dakota)

                                            in progress

   Hueske, Arnold & Rose - Richardton, North Dakota

   (Rural Southern Dunn County)

                           Kling, Harlin and Marie - Dickinson, North Dakota

                                  (Formerly of Halliday, North Dakota)

                                            in progress

   Lawhead, Inga - Killdeer, North Dakota

                          Mann, Emil and Esther - Halliday, North Dakota

                                           in progress

                                           .

                          Olson, Harry and Maureen - Killdeer, ND

                                          in progress

   Olson, Harold - Dickinson, ND - (Halliday)

   Perhus, Ruth Hueske - Richardton, ND - (South Dunn) 

                             Roshau, Wally & Judy - Killdeer (Fayette) ND

                           Schettler, Delbert & Kay – Halliday, North Dakota – Interview redone

                            Schumacher, Tony and Claudia - Halliday, North Dakota

                                               in progress

   Scott, Agnes (Weber) - Manning, North Dakota 

   Selle, Lloyd & Luann (Wasem) - Halliday, ND 

                            Severson, Roy - Mandan, North Dakota (Dunn Center)

                                              in progress

                            Vaagen, Marlys (Pletan) - Taylor, North Dakota

                                     (Formerly of Dunn Center, North Dakota)

                                                       in progress