Oral History Interview with Alfred P. Gale and Leona R. Gale
DATE: January 31, February 20 and July 31, 2008
INTERVIEWER: James E. Fogerty
Alfred Pillsbury Gale was the son of Richard Pillsbury and Isobel Rising Gale. He was born in Minnesota and raised in Minneapolis and on the family's farm near Maple Plain. He built and managed a large farming operation in North Dakota from 1947-1970 when he and his wife moved to Maple Plain.
Leona Rowe Gale was born in North Dakota and married Alfred Gale in 1948. She worked with him in their farming operation, raised two sons, and was active in a variety of civic and community activities for many years, both in North Dakota and in Minnesota.
In the interviews, Alfred Gale discusses his childhood and life as an itinerant teenager who traveled the American west working on ranches, farms, and other temporary positions while attending school between these adventures. He talks of his years in the Merchant Marine, his love for the land and development of the North Dakota farms, and his later return to Minnesota and life there as an investor and land owner. Leona Gale discusses her early life in North Dakota, the hard work of developing a farm and managing a home and family, and her involvement in a variety of civic and community activities.
LENGTH OF INTERVIEW: 3 hours 58 minutes
TRANSCRIPT: 84 pages