Interview with Elvira Dale

Abstract

Tape recorded interview conducted on February 25, 1983 by Jean O'Neill with Elvira Dale at her home in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Ms. Dale grew up in Prairie Farm where she raised her siblings after the death of her parents. She married John Dale and the couple took up farming on their own where they raised their children. During the interview, Ms. Dale discusses her experiences growing up in rural Wisconsin including social activities, farm and domestic life, education, and religion. She discusses the hardship of raising her siblings as a young girl and mentions her lack of instruction in menstruation and sexual intercourse. She discusses the differences in raising her own children, her social activities as an adult, her routine as a mother, and the effects of the World Wars on the availability of foodstuffs.