Oral History Interviews Collection, 1974-1990

Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

---

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Item:

[Item 1: Camp Depression - Paul Benson and Raymond Rund],
[Item 2: Camp Depression - John Holodick, Ray Ness, and Ken Gulmon],
[Item 3: Camp Depression - Algot Johnson],
[Item 4: Camp Depression - Mel Johnson],
[Item 5: Camp Depression Interview - Ralph Johnson, Lawrence Johnson, O.A. Hove, Walt Styer, and Franklin Vecon],
[Item 6: Agnes Geelan],
[Item 7: Leroy Goodwater and Hilda Goodwater],
[Item 8: Harold Groth and Grace Groth],
[Item 9: UND History Department Faculty - John Parker, Elwyn B. Robinson, Robert Wilkins, and Louis Geiger],
[Item 10: Elsie Brown],
[Item 11: Marian Meyers],
[Item 12: Frank Kelly],
[Item 13: Merle Kidder],
[Item 14: William Koenker],
[Item 15: William Koenker],
[Item 16: Soren Kolstoe],
[Item 17: Charles Libby and Margaret Libby Barr],
[Item 18: Henry Martinson],
[Item 19: Henry Martinson],
[Item 20: S.W. Melzer],
[Item 21: Ken Porter],
[Item 22: Benjamin Ring],
[Item 23: Elwyn and Eva Robinson],
[Item 24: Clarence Sande],
[Item 25: Gerald Skogley],
[Item 26: O.A. Stevens],
[Item 27: Robert Wilkins],
[Item 28: John R. Salter, Jr.],
[Item 29: John R. Salter, Jr.],
[All]

Item 23: Elwyn and Eva Robinson

Interviewed by John Davenport and Dan Rylance, August 23, 1976. 28 pages.

Elwyn B. Robinson served on the faculty of the UND History Department from 1935 to 1970, and was the author of History of North Dakota.

Elwyn and Eva Robinson both grew up in Ohio. He attended Oberlin College and she attended the Flora Stone Mather college, which was the women's liberal arts school at Western Reserve University. They both taught school in Ohio, although Elwyn began graduate school at Western Reserve in 1931. He received a PhD in 1936.

In 1935 they were married and moved to Grand Forks where Elwyn started teaching at the university. At that time, UND had two history departments, American and European, because President Kane had taken half of the department away from Orin Libby. Clarence Perkins chaired the European section. When Libby retired in 1945 the departments were rejoined.

In the late 1940s, Robinson gave talks on the radio about "Heroes of Dakota". He wrote an essay on the themes of North Dakota history for UND's 75th anniversary celebration. He wrote an article about George Starcher which was published in the North Dakota Quarterly in 1971. He also served on the State Historical Society of North Dakota Board of Directors.

His book, History of North Dakota, was published in 1966. Robinson said part of the reason he wrote the book was that Libby had always planned to but never did.

Most of the events discussed date from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Interview: Audio Cassette Tape 766 and 767

Transcript: OGLMC 1213, Box 2, Folder 2 (28 pages)

Browse by Item:

[Item 1: Camp Depression - Paul Benson and Raymond Rund],
[Item 2: Camp Depression - John Holodick, Ray Ness, and Ken Gulmon],
[Item 3: Camp Depression - Algot Johnson],
[Item 4: Camp Depression - Mel Johnson],
[Item 5: Camp Depression Interview - Ralph Johnson, Lawrence Johnson, O.A. Hove, Walt Styer, and Franklin Vecon],
[Item 6: Agnes Geelan],
[Item 7: Leroy Goodwater and Hilda Goodwater],
[Item 8: Harold Groth and Grace Groth],
[Item 9: UND History Department Faculty - John Parker, Elwyn B. Robinson, Robert Wilkins, and Louis Geiger],
[Item 10: Elsie Brown],
[Item 11: Marian Meyers],
[Item 12: Frank Kelly],
[Item 13: Merle Kidder],
[Item 14: William Koenker],
[Item 15: William Koenker],
[Item 16: Soren Kolstoe],
[Item 17: Charles Libby and Margaret Libby Barr],
[Item 18: Henry Martinson],
[Item 19: Henry Martinson],
[Item 20: S.W. Melzer],
[Item 21: Ken Porter],
[Item 22: Benjamin Ring],
[Item 23: Elwyn and Eva Robinson],
[Item 24: Clarence Sande],
[Item 25: Gerald Skogley],
[Item 26: O.A. Stevens],
[Item 27: Robert Wilkins],
[Item 28: John R. Salter, Jr.],
[Item 29: John R. Salter, Jr.],
[All]