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Have you ever wanted to go back in time to see what life was like for local immigrants coming to the United States? What life was like in the 1930s in Stearns County?
A newly processed collection of material from University Archives at St. Cloud State University is home to the Work Progress Administration (WPA) Stearns County biographies. A set of more than 1,500 interviews of Stearns County citizens during the mid-1930s.
The WPA interviewers talked to people throughout Stearns County about their own lives as well as the lives of their parents or grandparents who may have arrived in the United States or Minnesota in the 1800s, and some from the 1700s.
“These biographies provide firsthand accounts of the lives of everyday Stearns County residents. The records detail their journey to Central Minnesota, the work they did and the challenges that were overcome,” said Tom Steman, university archivist and St. Cloud State professor.
Researchers can see how communities evolved through these residents and get an idea of what life was like and what challenges these people faced. They tell stories that might have otherwise been lost.
Some interviews tell stories about the establishment of local business in St. Cloud, some of which are still around.
The interviews can be accessed through University Archives and online.
The collection is part of the Central Minnesota Historical Center (CMHC), which is now part of University Archives in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History and the Miller Center Library.
