State Historical Society of Iowa

Detail Result

Special Collections Catalog

Add additional search criteria below and press enter

All of these keywords
Any of these keywords
Exact phrase

Record 1 of 1

Reference Code :
  • DM-MS50
Title:
  • Dorothy Schwieder oral histories on Buxton, Iowa, 1980-1982
Date(s):
  • 1980-1982
Holding Location:
  • Des Moines
Creator/Author:
  • Schwieder, Dorothy, 1933-2014
Format:
  • 4 linear feet (8 containers)
Scope:
  • Oral interviews of 75 individuals who were former residents of Buxton, Iowa, or could contribute information on life in this coal mining community that flourished at the beginning of the twentieth century, but essentially passed out of existence by 1920. The town was established by the Consolidation Coal Company to provide fuel for the Chicago and Northwestern railroad, and became historically notable for the equal opportunities and integrated lifestyles enjoyed by its Black and immigrant residents.

    The interviews were gathered by Iowa State University professor Dr. Dorothy Schwieder as part of a 1980 grant project to compile archival and archaeological research on Buxton. The content of the oral histories contributed significantly to Schwieder's book, Buxton: Work and Racial Equality in a a Coal Mining Community, published by the Iowa State University Press in 1987.

    The collection deposited with the State Historical Society of Iowa consisted of the 95 master audiocassettes on which the interviews were captured, a transcription of the interviews consolidated into one document of 1,737 pages, and a partial index to their content prepared by Dr. Joseph Hraba. Digital versions of the taped conversations were subsequently acquired and can be accessed on disk in Box 1 of the collection. For research purposes, it should only be necessary to access boxes 1 through 3 of the collection; the digital versions on disk should be used in lieu of the audiocassettes housed in boxes 4 through 8. More details about the collection and the individual interviews can be found in the guide attached to this catalog record (See: Indexes and Box Lists).
    • Subject(s):
    • Coal mines and mining
    • Immigrants
    • Social integration
    • African Americans
    • Swedish Americans
    Provenance:
    • Schwieder, Dorothy, 1933-2014
    Location:
  • DM 1 East N20/4/6 Boxes 1-3 (Transcriptions and digital versions of interviews in Box 1
    • Indexes and Box Lists:
    Audio:
    Permanent Record Link:

    State Historical Society of Iowa

    How can we help?

    Share feedback with us