    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative
Information
Scope and Content Note
Biographical Information
Lineage
Selected Search Terms
Partial Interview Transcript
|
Information
Resources
Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific
Lutheran University
Tacoma, WASHINGTON 98447
Phone: (253) 535-7586 E-mail: archives@plu.edu
New Land
New Lives Oral History Collection
Louise (Malla) Amilia Sinland Dahl
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
|
Administrative
Information
Creator:
Dahl, Louise (Malla) Amilia Sinland
Collection Nr: t041
File Content:
|
|
3 file folders
2 photographs
1 sound cassette
1 compact disc
|
|
|
Processing Information:
|
|
The
interview was conducted using a cassette recorder. A research
copy was also prepared from the original. To further preserve
the content of the interview, it is now being transferred
to compact disc. We deliberately did not transcribe the
entire interview because we want the researchers to listen
to the interviewee's own voice. The transcription index
highlights important aspects of the interview and the
tape counter numbers noted on the Partial Interview
Transcription are meant as approximate finding guides
and refer to the location of a subject on the cassette/CD.
Interviewed
by Donna Mallonee
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Good
|
Restrictions:
|
|
The
collection is available for research.
|
|
Preferred Citation:
|
|
[Collection
Number, Collection Title]
New Land New Lives Oral History Collection
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection
Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
|
Go
to top |
This
interview was conducted with Malla Dahl on May 6, 1980 in Stanwood,
Washington. It contains information about family background,
attending PLU, Dahl's Grocery, and Norwegian heritage. The interview
also contains a photograph from the Dahl wedding, an article
on Malla receiving her PLU diploma, and a photograph of Malla
in 1978. The interview was conducted in English.
|
|
Malla
Dahl was born Louise Amilia Sinland Dahl in 1888 in Harmony,
Minnesota. Her parents, Samuel and Ingeborg Dahl, were of Norwegian
descent, and there were four other children in the family: Anne,
Teddy, Inez, and Alma. The Dahls left Minnesota when Malla was
young and moved to Stanwood, Washington. Samuel was a carpenter
and helped construct Harstad Hall, Pacific Lutheran University's
first building. Malla later attended PLU, and her extracurricular
activities included golf and basketball. In 1907, she was the
captain of the women's basketball team. Dr. Anders Ramstad and
Dr. Daniel Tingelstad were also at PLU while Malla was, and
she later became friends with Agnes and Ole Stuen as well. In
addition, Malla met her husband, Hans Dahl, at PLU. Hans was
also of Norwegian descent and was born in North Dakota. Malla
and Hans were the first couple to be married in Trinity Lutheran
Church, which is located on the corner of 121st and Park near
PLU and was still under construction at the time. Hans owned
Dahl's Peanut Butter Factory, and after it burned down, he and
Malla opened Dahl's Grocery. In 1977, sixty-nine years after
she completed her studies at PLU, Malla went through the actual
graduation ceremonies. At the time of this interview, Malla
was PLU's oldest living alumni.
Go to top |
|
|
Full Name: |
Malla Dahl
|
|
Maiden Name: |
Louise Amilia Sinland Dahl
|
|
Father: |
Samuel Dahl
|
|
Mother: |
Ingeborg Dahl
|
|
Brothers and Sisters: |
Anne Dahl
Teddy Dahl
Inez Dahl
Alma Dahl
|
|
Spouse: |
Hans Dahl
|
Go to top |
This collection is indexed under the following headings
|
|
Personal Names |
|
Dahl, Malla
Dahl, Samuel
Dahl, Ingeborg
Tingelstad, Daniel
Ramstad, Anders
Stuen, Agnes
Stuen, Ole
Dahl, Hans
|
|
Family Names |
|
Dahl family
Stuen family
|
|
Geographical Names |
|
Harmony (Minn.)
Stanwood (Wash.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
|
|
Subjects |
|
Family -- U.S.
Trinity Lutheran Church (Parkland, Wash.)
Flyer Dock boat (Tacoma, Wash.)
Old Main. Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Wash.)
Harstad Hall. Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Wash.)
Depressions -- 1929 -- Parkland (Wash.)
Basketball -- Pacific Lutheran University
Golf -- Pacific Lutheran University
|
|
Occupations |
|
Dahl's Peanut Butter Factory (Tacoma, Wash.)
Dahl's Grocery (Tacoma, Wash.)
|
|
Genre/Form |
|
Oral history
|
|
Institution |
|
Pacific Lutheran University. Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
|
Go
to top |
The
partial interview transcription highlights important aspects
of the interview. Numbers on the left may be used as guides
to important subjects. Two numbers separated by a slash indicate
that the first number is for cassette and the second for CD.
013/12 Louise Amilia Sinland Dahl born in Harmony, Minnesota.
032 PARENTS: Samuel and Ingeborg Dahl.
036 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Anne, Teddy, Inez, and Alma.
061 Parents were born in Norway. Settled in Harmony. They had
some animals, but they weren't farmers.
100 CHILDHOOD: Left Minnesota when quite young. Went to school
in Stanwood, Washington. Malla remembers that she and her little
brother had to walk a couple of miles to school.
139 Malla's father was a carpenter. He helped build Harstad
Hall, the first building on the PLU campus.
171 Malla went to school at PLU. She came to PLU in 1894. There
was only one building. There was a board fence going across
the campus.
208 Lived with her father and mother.
253/13 Ramstad was there while Malla was. So was Dr. Oscar Tingelstad.
274 HUSBAND: Met her husband at PLU. Hans Dahl. He was also
a student. Trinity Lutheran Church was still being built. They
wanted to get married in a church so they used fir boughs to
cover the construction. Rev. Heimdahl married them. Had a nice
wedding dress.
335 They rented a little house in Tacoma. Her husband owned
Dahl's Peanut Butter Factory in Tacoma. It burned down. He had
about three people working for him. They packed peanut butter
in jars.
389 DAHL GROCERY: Walter French worked for them. The building
where the store was is still standing. During the Depression,
they gave credit to teachers at PLU. The wholesaler they bought
their goods from gave them credit so they could give teachers
credit.
474/14 Learned to speak Norwegian from her parents. She used
to go to a Norwegian club, but she got tired of it. Her husband
was of Norwegian background too. He was born in North Dakota.
511 Indians came up to her house once when she was little. She
closed the doors and they all went upstairs.
548 Malla used to have some students live with her. The Stuens'
are good friends. Mrs. Stuen was a housemother at PLU to begin
with. Malla's sister, who worked in the dining room then, invited
Mrs. Stuen over coffee quite often.
581 BUILDING THE SCHOOL: Her father helped. They built two stories
first. Then it got bigger and bigger.
600 Graduated from PLU in 1977, 69 years after she completed
her studies. In 1977, she went through the graduation ceremonies.
636 Played golf when she was a student at PLU. Was captain of
the basketball team in 1907.
672 TRANSPORTATION: Took the Flyer Dock boat to Seattle in those
days. Trolleys were used for transportation.
713/15 NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS: They used to have rommegrøt, rice
pudding, and lefse.
747 VISITING PLU: She comes here quite a bit. Tells about an
alumni dinner. She had a pretty pink dress. She is the oldest
alumni.
766 Talks about the river that goes through Stanwood. There
was a lot of Norwegian people in Stanwood.
795 The Dahl's closed their store in the 1940s.
Go to top
|
Maintained by archives@plu.edu
© 2002-2003 Pacific Lutheran University
|