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Duration
| 01:01:40.134 | |
Abstract
| Discussed are the following topics: Early life, youngest of six children, parents Earl Johnson and Esther Beeler-Johnson, living at 2423 Loomis Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin, description of the Northside neighborhood, early memories of riding the La Crosse Transit Company buses (est. 1949)—Parents met in La Crosse, mother attended the Wisconsin Business University (1892-1941, 3rd and Main Streets), mother worked at a boarding house, met her husband at the boarding house—Father’s occupation as a machinist on the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad,1849-1970), father working for railroads on the Northside, La Crosse, Wisconsin, location and description of the railway roundhouse on the Northside (along Livingston Street within the Burlington Railroad property), Northside and Southside passenger depots—Railway roundhouse size, maintenance and care of steam and diesel engines, steam engines going out of service, late 1940s-early 1950s—Father worked on diesel engines, father developing lung cancer as a consequence of inhaling diesel fumes, taking a disability pension, father’s career working for the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, 1849-1970) community members working on the railroad, benefits of living close to work—Local businesses in the Northside neighborhood, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Burlington Hotel, (1639 Prospect Street, renamed C.B.Q. or Burlington Hotel, 1926-1995), commonly called the Busy Bee Place or Bee Hive, The Q Lunch (1932-1987, 1601 Rublee Street)—Milwaukee Railroad (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, 1847-1986), Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad,1849-1970), railroads having their own stations at the depots, rivalries between the Milwaukee Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, passenger trains, Zephyr (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy), Hiawatha (Milwaukee)—The Q Lunch (1932-1987, 1601 Rublee Street), restaurant description, types of food served, affordability of food, contract with Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, 1849-1970) to have restaurant on the railroad’s property—Beginning of Nelson’s engineering career, 1967, summer job during college as railroad engineer, railroad engineer apprenticeship, apprenticeship process, power of seniority, getting more engineering position preferences with more seniority on the railroad—Job roles on the railroad, description of engine and train crew, description of seniority among jobs and positions—Struggles in the railroad industry, federal regulations on the railroad, speed regulations, lifting federal regulations made the railroad industry more successful, utilizing the “piggy-back system” in the railroad industry, employment on the railroads, job responsibilities, types of railroad jobs in La Crosse, Wisconsin, ca. 1980—Mother’s Lutheran faith, attending Bethel Lutheran Church (1500 block of George Street, relocated to Loomis and Livingston Streets), La Crosse, Wisconsin, women gathering in the basement of the church after Sunday service, cooking, baking, making Norwegian and German foods—Education, Roosevelt Elementary School (1923-2014, 1307 Hayes Street), Logan Junior High School (1450 Avon Street), Logan High School (est. 1928, 1500 Ranger Drive), attended college briefly, withdrew from college, drafted into the U. S. Navy during The Vietnam War (1964-1975)—Merging of the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, 1849-1970), Great Northern, and Northern Pacific railroads, returning from service in the U. S. Navy, working as a railroad engineer —La Crosse Street Railway Co. (1879-1945), routes, Northside neighborhood, La Crosse, Wisconsin, removal of the trolley in the mid-1940s, using overhead electrical cables, children pulling on the cables—Carol, born in 1931, father’s death, grandfather owned Manke Hardware (1905-1967, 1302 Caledonia Street), living at 1013 Rose Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin, family owned the Road Runner Raceway, moving to 707 Clinton Street, graduated from Immanuel Lutheran School (corner of 1201 Avon and St. Paul Streets), attended and graduated from Logan High School (est. 1928, 1500 Ranger Drive), marriage to Sylvan Schonsberg ca. 1950, moving to Illinois—Moving back to La Crosse, Wisconsin to assist mother with hardware store after death of uncle Harold Haefner (1906-1956)—Carol, working at Manke Hardware (1905-1967, 1302 Caledonia Street), other hardware stores in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Tietz Hardware (1700 block of George Street), Hardware Hank (1981-1994, 1200 Caledonia Street), Coast to Coast (1953-1981, 129 S. 4th Street), Gambles (1925-1982, moved to 306-310 Pearl Street in 1934), working with salesmen, buying products for the store, traveling to Chicago, Illinois to buy products, changes in the hardware business. |
| Interviewee | Johnson, Nelson Henry |
| Schonsberg, Sylvan Arthur |
| Schonsberg, Carol |
| Interviewer | Albrecht, Nicki |
| Ozburn, Chip |
| Owner | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse |
|
Type of resource
| sound recording |
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Genre
| sound |
|
Genre authority
| marcgt |
|
Publisher name
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Oral History Program |
|
Place of publication
| La Crosse, Wisconsin |
|
Date published
| 2001-04-12 |
|
Date captured
| 2019-09-07 |
|
Language
| eng |
| Subject topic | Schonsberg, Sylvan Arthur -- Interviews Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | Johnson, Nelson Henry -- Interviews Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | Schonsberg, Carol -- Interviews Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | Oral history Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | Oral history -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | Interviews -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse Authority: LCSH |
| Subject topic | La Crosse (Wis.) -- History Authority: LCSH |
| Source note | Tape 1 of 2. |
| Content | Interviewee #1: Nelson Henry Johnson:
00:00:02—Early life, youngest of six children, parents Earl Johnson and Esther Beeler-Johnson, living at 2423 Loomis Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin, description of the Northside neighborhood, early memories of riding the La Crosse Transit Company buses (est. 1949) |
00:04:41—Parents met in La Crosse, mother attended the Wisconsin Business University (1892-1941, 3rd and Main Streets), mother worked at a boarding house, met her husband at the boarding house |
00:06:40—Father’s occupation as a machinist on the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad,1849-1970), father working for railroads on the Northside, La Crosse, Wisconsin, location and description of the railway roundhouse on the Northside (along Livingston Street within the Burlington Railroad property), Northside and Southside passenger depots |
00:12:00—Railway roundhouse size, maintenance and care of steam and diesel engines, steam engines going out of service, late 1940s-early 1950s |
00:14:08—Father worked on diesel engines, father developing lung cancer as a consequence of inhaling diesel fumes, taking a disability pension, father’s career working for the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, 1849-1970) community members working on the railroad, benefits of living close to work |
00:17:37—Local businesses in the Northside neighborhood, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Burlington Hotel, (1639 Prospect Street, renamed C.B.Q. or Burlington Hotel, 1926-1995), commonly called the Busy Bee Place or Bee Hive, The Q Lunch (1932-1987, 1601 Rublee Street) |
00:19:33—Milwaukee Railroad (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, 1847-1986), Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad,1849-1970), railroads having their own stations at the depots, rivalries between the Milwaukee Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, passenger trains, Zephyr (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy), Hiawatha (Milwaukee) |
00:22:06—The Q Lunch (1932-1987, 1601 Rublee Street), restaurant description, types of food served, affordability of food, contract with Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, 1849-1970) to have restaurant on the railroad’s property |
00:23:26—Beginning of Nelson’s engineering career, 1967, summer job during college as railroad engineer, railroad engineer apprenticeship, apprenticeship process, power of seniority, getting more engineering position preferences with more seniority on the railroad |
00:29:09—Job roles on the railroad, description of engine and train crew, description of seniority among jobs and positions |
00:31:32—Struggles in the railroad industry, federal regulations on the railroad, speed regulations, lifting federal regulations made the railroad industry more successful, utilizing the “piggy-back system” in the railroad industry, employment on the railroads, job responsibilities, types of railroad jobs in La Crosse, Wisconsin, ca. 1980 |
00:36:13—Mother’s Lutheran faith, attending Bethel Lutheran Church (1500 block of George Street, relocated to Loomis and Livingston Streets), La Crosse, Wisconsin, women gathering in the basement of the church after Sunday service, cooking, baking, making Norwegian and German foods |
00:41:20—Education, Roosevelt Elementary School (1923-2014, 1307 Hayes Street), Logan Junior High School (1450 Avon Street), Logan High School (est. 1928, 1500 Ranger Drive), attended college briefly, withdrew from college, drafted into the U. S. Navy during The Vietnam War (1964-1975) |
00:44:22—Merging of the Burlington Railroad (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, 1849-1970), Great Northern, and Northern Pacific railroads, returning from service in the U. S. Navy, working as a railroad engineer |
00:46:00—La Crosse Street Railway Co. (1879-1945), routes, Northside neighborhood, La Crosse, Wisconsin, removal of the trolley in the mid-1940s, using overhead electrical cables, children pulling on the cables |
| Content | Interviewees #2 and #3: Carol and Sylvan Schonsberg:
00:53:11—Carol, born in 1931, father’s death, grandfather owned Manke Hardware (1905-1967, 1302 Caledonia Street), living at 1013 Rose Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin, family owned the Road Runner Raceway, moving to 707 Clinton Street, graduated from Immanuel Lutheran School (corner of 1201 Avon and St. Paul Streets), attended and graduated from Logan High School (est. 1928, 1500 Ranger Drive), marriage to Sylvan Schonsberg ca. 1950, moving to Illinois |
00:56:29—Moving back to La Crosse, Wisconsin to assist mother with hardware store after death of uncle Harold Haefner (1906-1956) |
00:57:49—Carol, working at Manke Hardware (1905-1967, 1302 Caledonia Street), other hardware stores in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Tietz Hardware (1700 block of George Street), Hardware Hank (1981-1994, 1200 Caledonia Street), Coast to Coast (1953-1981, 129 S. 4th Street), Gambles (1925-1982, moved to 306-310 Pearl Street in 1934), working with salesmen, buying products for the store, traveling to Chicago, Illinois to buy products, changes in the hardware business |
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Use and reproduction restrictions
| This material may be protected by copyright law (e.g., Title 17, US Code). For more information about the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Murphy Library's copyright, fair-use, and permissions policies, please see https://digitalcollections.uwlax.edu/. |
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Collection
| UWL Oral History Program Collection |
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ID
| aa172543-df64-469f-9585-15a8bb4e56e4/wlacu000/00000018/00000207 |
| Doi | 18-0207 |
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