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Ruth and Roy Olson
Tape #H96-03-01 & 02

At their dining room table in their home in Fairbanks, Ruth and Roy Olson recalled their long years in the Central area. They spoke to Laurel Tyrrell during May of 1995. Ruth was born while her parents were working gold claims on Switch Creek, and remained in the area long after she met and married her husband Roy. Roy worked on one of the last remaining gold dredges, as well as other gold mining claims. To this day they own a cabin close to Circle Hot Springs in a subdivision called Pioneer Acres. Together, they expressed warmth, gladness and thankfulness from the heart as they recalled the extraordinary characters that peopled their lives.


Click on a section of the menu to listen to the audio for that segment.

Ruth and Roy Olson speak with Laurel Tyrrell about....

1) Introduction, Ruth.
Olson, Ruth - mother\ steamboat\ Dawson\ Deadwood\ Switch Creek\ Miller House - Kelly's\ old timers|

2) Ruth's childhood toys.
Olson, Ruth - uncle\ sluice boxes\ games - gold mining\ games - cleanup\ games - cards\ Taggart, Charles\ Olson, Ruth - father's partner\ Rockness, Sam\ nugget - medium of exchange\ Olson, Ruth - daughter\ Sylvia\ Severts|

3) Ruth's early life.
wedding - Ruth and Roy\ trip - Norway\ Olson, Ruth - grandson\ Tom\ Kodiak|

4) Ruth's overview of years with Roy.
Olson, Ruth - daughter\ Circle Hot Springs\ cabin - fire\ hospitality - payments when have job\ Leach, Frank\ road - not year round\ Olson, Ruth - father's partner\ Rockness, Sam|

5) Ruth's overview continues.
gold mining - Berry Dredge\ Olson, Ruth - daughter\ move - reasons\ Ladd Field\ Switch Creek\ gold mining - effect of war\ Olson, Ruth - second daughter\ Louella\ Olson, Ruth - cousin\ Johnson, Edgar\ Service Motors\ Union Oil\ Alaska Road Commission|

6) Cabin on Switch Creek.
fire\ roof - moss and canvas\ Swedish syndicate\ Olson, Ruth - father\ cabin - building\ Olson, Ruth - mother|

7) Ruth's school years and meeting Roy.
Olson, Ruth - school attendance\ Bellingham\ High school\ Crosson, Joe\ Olson, Ruth - schooling\ Olson, Ruth - Roy\ marriage\ Circle Hot Springs\ Berry Dredge\ Miller House\ Seattle\ winter - work|

8) Ruth's closest family.
fall - trip Outside\ Seattle\ Bellingham\ Olson, Ruth - father\ Olson, Ruth - parents\ Nenana\ Olson, Ruth - third daughter\ Lauris\ Olson, Ruth - grandchildren\ Olson, Ruth - children|

9) Roy's early life.
Olson, Roy - school\ Studebaker\ Seattle\ coming to Alaska - reasons\ Chatham Creek\ gold mining - dredge\ Olson, Roy - uncle\ Seward\ Alaska Rail Road \ Fairbanks|

10) Roy comes to Alaska.
road - Fairbanks to Chatham Creek\ Skoogie Gulch\ road - glaciers on\ Norris, Ralph\ hospitality - teaching newcomers\ F. E. Co.\ Fairbanks\ Model T\ Olson, Roy - schooling\ Seattle|

11)Roy's working years, Alaska Road Commission.
supply hauler\ Olson, Roy - jobs\ Berry Dredge\ gold mining - ground preparation|

12) Roy describes gold mining with a dredge.
gold mining - dredge description\ flume\ riffles\ tailings\ dredges - movement\ dead man\ pulley|

13) Roy describes gold mining.
summer - mosquitoes\ Forsgren\ Olson, Roy - trying snuff\ Chatham dredge - crew\

14) Roy describes whipsawing.
whipsawing \ gold mining - hydraulic|

15) Gold mining.
gold mining - hydraulic\ pipeline\ silted water\ settling pond\ gold mining - drift mining|

16) Chatham Dredge. (photo identification)
stripping - hydraulic\ coal - boilers\ coal - hauling\ Model T\ GMC Dump truck\ coal - dumping\ barge - Marianne\ Chatanika\ dredge - crew\ fireman\ winch man\ engineer\ shore man\ truck driver\ owner|

17) Chatham Dredge continued.
cook\ old timer - Ingo Bretsen\ hospitality - lunch|

18) Ruth remembers area old timers.
Chief William Moses\ Roberts, Sandy - mother\
Sarah\ dog team - decorated\ handkerchiefs\ Central\ Circle Hot Springs\ berry - picking\ Leach, Frank|

19) Ruth remembers old timers continued. (Photo Identification)
Sarah\ Leach, Frank\ Roberts, Sandy, - mother\ Roberts, Sandy - supporting family\ Porcupine River\ Chief Moses\ Ericksen, Riley|

20) Ruth remembers old timers continued.
Ericksen, Alf R.\ Olson, Ruth - father\ Ericksen, Riley - wife\ Margaret\ hospitality - cup of coffee\ gold mining - Switch Creek\ Stade, Henry\ roadhouse\ dancing|

21) Roy remembers old timers.
Beistline, Earl\ Christensen, Harold\ roadhouse\ Circle Hot Springs\ travel - winter\ wood - hauling\ Miller House\ RD6 caterpillar\ road - keeping open|

22) Roy remembers old timers continued.
travel - overflow\ Wheeler, Clarence\ hospitality - borrowing\ death - coroner's inquest|

23) Roy remembers old timers continued. (Photo Identification)
Blondeau, George\ dog team\ Wheeler, Clarence\ cemetery - Central\ Ericksen, Riley\ hospitality - cleanliness\ Leach, Frank\ hospitality - children\ Leach, Emma|

24) Ruth remembers area old timers. (Photo Identification, two)
Circle Hot Springs\ Miller, Frank\ Miller, Graziella\ McGowan, Eva\ Olson, Ruth\ Olson, Ruth - mother\ Olson, Ruth - father\ Erickson, Riley\ roadhouse\ Fox, Gertrude\ Miller House\ Central\ Fox, Roy\ Oakes, Pat\ cabin - ownership Central\ roadhouse\ Romaker, Mrs.\ Circle Roadhouse - Tanana Roadhouse\ Appelle, Henry|

25) Ruth remembers old timers continued.
Wheeler, Clarence\ Taggart, CC.\ Postmaster\ Circle Hot Springs\ Olson, Ruth\ Olson, Ruth - father\ Muir, Jim\ Wilson, Mrs.\ Roadhouse - Jump Off\ Ericksen, Riley\ Sather, Anton\ telephone\ hospitality - telephone\ gold mining - claims|

26) Ruth remembers old timers continued. (Photo identification)
Sather, Anton\ death\ Central - cemetery\ Olson, Ruth - mother\ Langlow, Jens\ Ulmer, Joe\ hospitality - lunch\ celebration - St. Patrick's Day|

27) Ruth remembers old timers continued.
Princess Sophia|


Side 2: Ruth and Roy Olson speak with Laurel Tyrrell about....

1) Ruth and Roy remember old timers. (Photo identification)
Princess Sophia\ rescue\ Princess Sophia - impact on area\ Anderson, Jack\ Anderson, Pete and wife\ Beistline, Earl\ Riegers\ Garner|

2) Ruth and Roy remember old timers continued. (Photo Identification)
Garner\ Eagle Creek\ celebrations - St. Patrick's Day\ Olson, Ruth - family\ Rasmussen, Ed\ O'Leary, Elsie\ Callahan, Helen\ Fox, Roy\ Langlow, Jens\ Knutsen, Big Nick\ Leine, Boyer\ Central - cemetery\ Rodgers, Charlie\ celebration - 4th of July\ games -Tug-o-war|

3) Ruth and Roy remember old timers continued.
Wrede\ Eagle Summit\ road - opening\ Switch Creek\ Langlow, Jens\ celebration - St. Patrick's Day\ travel - hike\ Deadwood\ Greenhorn\ celebration - music\ celebration - dancing\ Eagle Creek\ Miller House\ Circle Hot Springs|

4) Circle Hot Springs.
Circle Hot Springs - gardens\ Circle Hot Springs - meals\ Leach, Mr.\ Anchorage paper\ Olson, Ruth - daughter\ Lauris\ Circle Hot Springs - current|

5) Circle Hot Springs continued.
Leach, Mrs.\ Circle Hot Springs - current\ Ames, Charlotte\ Pioneer Acres\ Bell, Arlene\ Circle Hot Springs - gathering place|

6) Circle Hot Springs continued.
Warren, Frank and Mary\ Gelvin, Ginney and Ed\ Riddle's\ Stockbridge, Owen\ Stockbridge, Joyce\ Central - reasons to live there\ Central Motor Inn\ Olson, Roy - sons in law\ Fairbanks Creek|

7) Central residents.
Mathis, Edie\ Matheson, Lon\ Bittner, Paul\ Sincola\ games - cards\

8) Leaving Central
Central - reasons left\ LeRude, Bob and Loretta|

9) Ruth is thankful for a full, good life.
Olson, Roy and Ruth - family\ thankful for a good life\ Pioneer Home\ closing|


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