Skip to main content

Bert Russell Oral History collection

 Collection
Identifier: MG 650

Content Description

Research material for the book "Rock Burst." Cassette recordings of interview conducted by Bert Rusell. The Bert Russell Oral History Tapes span the year 1971-1979 and consist of twenty-four cassette tapes containing oral interviews of Idaho and Eastern Washington residents. Interviews tell of personal histories and local community and natural occurrences.

Dates

  • Creation: 1971-1978

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research

Biographical / Historical

Bert Russell was born on February 15, 1909 in Harrison, Idaho and was raised on his family’s sawmill. During World War II, he worked as an electrician at the Vancouver Shipyards in Washington. He also found work as a logger and timber cruiser, eventually owning his own lumber company (Russell Lumber Company) in Springston, Idaho. In 1946, he married his wife, Marie, with whom he had two children: Judy and Walter Russell. In addition to his career in lumber, Russell also worked as a land developer, rancher, and writer. He wrote five books: North Folk of the Coeur d’Alene River, Caulked Boots and Other Northwest Writings, The Sawdust Dream, Hardships and Happy Times, and Rock Burst. The writing of Russell’s final book, Rock Burst, was assisted by Marie, who completed transcribing his interviews of old miners from the Harrison area after he was moved to a nursing home in 1993 and unable to do so himself. In his final years, Russell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease; he passed away on April 4, 1997 in Harrison, Idaho.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Research material for the book "Rock Burst." Cassette tapes containing oral interviews of Idaho and Eastern Washington residents.

Arrangement

Tapes are arranged alphabetically by first name. Interviews of the same interviewee are grouped generally together, though there a few discrepancies by nature of some tapes containing interviews of multiple individuals.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Found in collection in 1984, donor unknown.

Related Materials

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/may/11/death-cant-silence-writers-voice-bert-russells/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93656516/bert-abraham-russell

Title
Guide to Russell (Bert) Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding Aid prepared by Trixie Zwolfer
Date
2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository