Oral History Interviews by Project
Sample Searches
- Afro-American Project
- Archives of Northwest Art
- East Asia Library Oral History Project
- Coastal Hazards Planning in Time
- Gary Greaves Oral History Project
- Japanese American Project
- Labor Archives
- Mountain Rescue Association Oral History Project
- North Cascades History Project
- Sundberg Scandinavian Oral Histories
- Washington State Jewish Archives
Other Resources
The Afro-American Project
The Afro-American project grew in scope between 1968 and 1970 as student field workers Larry Gossett and S. Leonard Bell taped interviews with residents of the African American community, primarily with Seattle residents.
The Archives of Northwest Art Project
The Archives of Northwest Art project was initiated by the Henry Gallery in about 1972 and expanded by Henry Art Gallery associate director LaMar Harrington from 1975 to 1978. Numerous interviews with artists and others important to the Northwest art scene were recorded, funded in part by grants from the Seattle, King County and Washington State Arts Commissions. The interviews included information on the artists background, education, training, family support/encouragement, individual technique and how it has evolved over time, relationships with other area artists, the creative process, opinions of contemporary trends, and the role of museums and galleries in publicizing and promoting their works.
Coastal Hazard Planning in Time
Signs warning of various coastal hazards
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In this collection, we present eight interview transcripts with seven researchers who have contributed to the study of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The interviews were conducted in August and September of 2020. These oral histories are not biographical and instead focus on each researcher’s research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This collection of oral histories was prepared as part of a larger NSF-funded Coastal Hazards Planning in Time project.
» Read transcripts of interviews
Gary Greaves Oral History Digitization Project
Gary Greaves
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Interview recordings from the late 1980s and early 90s that relate to post-war Seattle history and cover a diverse array of topics -- such as transportation, race relations, housing, city planning and labor -- narrated by an equally diverse group including well-known politicians such as Cheryl Chow, Martha Choe and Paul Schell; community activists such as Aaron Dixon and Hazel Wolf.
The Japanese-American Project
The Japanese-American project had the direction of two successive field workers, Sally Kazama and Delores Goto who acquired personal papers and recorded interviews from this community starting in about 1967. Geographically this material emphasizes Seattle, but also documents Japanese American life in Eastern Oregon and covers the Japanese –American evacuation from the West Coast during World War II.
The Labor Archives of Washington
The Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) was founded to preserve the records of working people and their unions and to serve as a center for historical research, ensuring that new generations have access to the rich labor history of the region. The archives have a significant collection of oral history interviews from participants enganged in labor struggles throughout the years. This project recently digitized the records relating to the Inlandboatmen’s Union Region 37 and the United Cannery Workers.
Mountain Rescue Association Oral History Project
The MRA oral history project endeavors to capture the stories of MRA members and their experiences and contributions to mountain rescue. The project is coordinated by the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections and the Mountain Rescue Association.
The North Cascades History Project
The North Cascades History project was conceived after the creation of the North Cascades National Park in 1968. The area was defined as the mountainous region north of Snoqualmie Pass. Extensive fieldwork was conducted by Harry Majors who recorded many interviews with early settlers, Forest Service employees and mountain climbers.
The South Asian Oral History Project
The project represents one of the first attempts in the U.S. to record pan-South Asian immigrant experiences in the Pacific Northwest using the medium of oral history. These interviews reflect religious, linguistic, occupational and gender diversity and provide rich insight into changing experiences of South Asians in the Pacific Northwest.
Note: These recordings are located in a different collection. Following the link above will take you to that collection page.
Sundberg Nordic Oral History Collection
The Sundberg Nordic Oral History collection was a project emphasizing Scandinavian emigration and settlement in the US. The interviews were taped by Edward and Gerda Sundberg during a sabbatical from Cabrillo College in 1976.
The Washington State Jewish Archives Project
The Jewish Archives project began in 1968 as a collaboration between the Jewish Federation Women’s Division and the UW Manuscripts division (today’s Special Collections). The early efforts of the project were to collect oral histories from longtime Jewish community members in Seattle. Gradually, the focus expanded to also collecting the records of synagogues, Jewish organizations, personal papers, and photographs which now comprise the substantial Washington State Jewish Archives. While the scope of the collection has grown, oral history interviews are still actively conducted by the Archives Committee of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society. Today, this oral history collection stands at nearly 450 interviews of Jewish community members from the Seattle metropolitan area as well as throughout Washington State.
