Linn and Ruth Moser Oral History Interview

Interviewee: Linn and Ruth Moser
Interviewer: Gary Blanchard
Interview Date: June 9, 2008
Location: Moser residence, Philomath, Oregon
Duration: 0:31:00
 

In this interview, Linn and Ruth Moser discuss their respective upbringings, their life together, and their experiences in the logging industry. Linn begins by describing how his family came to live in Oregon. He notes that on his mother’s side, his great grandparents were the first generation of his family to settle in Oregon, and they begin working in the timber industry shortly after their arrival in the state. Ruth then provides an overview of her early life. She mentions that she was born in Iowa and moved with her family to Oregon when she was still a child. They describe their rural upbringings, and note how different technology and society were when they were young as compared to how they perceived it at the time of this interview.

The conversation then turns to the Mosers’ experiences in their early adulthood. Linn recounts his memories of World War II, noting that he served in the South Pacific, but saw very little action. He then discusses his entrance into the lumber industry upon his return to Oregon after the end of the war. Ruth discusses her marriage to her first husband and her memories of Philomath during the 1940s and 1950s. The Mosers then discuss how they met, and recall their life together. Linn elaborates on his career in the lumber industry and his memories as a hunter and outdoorsman in Oregon. The interview concludes with some brief reflections from Linn about the state of the logging industry at the time of the interview.

Linn Frantz Moser was born in Philomath, Oregon in 1926. He joined the Navy after he turned eighteen, and served in the South Pacific during World War II. After returning to Oregon, he, his dad and brother created the Hoskins Lumber Company, and operated a sawmill for more than fifty years in the Philomath area. With his first wife, Roberta Rickard, he raised three sons. He passed away in 2011.

Ruth Moser was born in Gravity, Iowa, in 1934. She and her family moved to Philomath, Oregon in 1941, where Ruth would remain. She graduated from Philomath High School and married Ben Miller, her first husband, shortly thereafter, ultimately raising three children together. Miller died in 1984 and, in 1996, Ruth married Linn Moser.

Dublin Core

Title

Linn and Ruth Moser Oral History Interview

Description

In this interview, Linn and Ruth Moser discuss their respective upbringings, their life together, and their experiences in the logging industry. Linn begins by describing how his family came to live in Oregon. He notes that on his mother’s side, his great grandparents were the first generation of his family to settle in Oregon, and they begin working in the timber industry shortly after their arrival in the state. Ruth then provides an overview of her early life. She mentions that she was born in Iowa and moved with her family to Oregon when she was still a child. They describe their rural upbringings, and note how different technology and society were when they were young as compared to how they perceived it at the time of this interview.

The conversation then turns to the Mosers’ experiences in their early adulthood. Linn recounts his memories of World War II, noting that he served in the South Pacific, but saw very little action. He then discusses his entrance into the lumber industry upon his return to Oregon after the end of the war. Ruth discusses her marriage to her first husband and her memories of Philomath during the 1940s and 1950s. The Mosers then discuss how they met, and recall their life together. Linn elaborates on his career in the lumber industry and his memories as a hunter and outdoorsman in Oregon. The interview concludes with some brief reflections from Linn about the state of the logging industry at the time of the interview.

Linn Frantz Moser was born in Philomath, Oregon in 1926. He joined the Navy after he turned eighteen, and served in the South Pacific during World War II. After returning to Oregon, he, his dad and brother created the Hoskins Lumber Company, and operated a sawmill for more than fifty years in the Philomath area. With his first wife, Roberta Rickard, he raised three sons. He passed away in 2011.

Ruth Moser was born in Gravity, Iowa, in 1934. She and her family moved to Philomath, Oregon in 1941, where Ruth would remain. She graduated from Philomath High School and married Ben Miller, her first husband, shortly thereafter, ultimately raising three children together. Miller died in 1984 and, in 1996, Ruth married Linn Moser.

Creator

Linn and Ruth Moser

Source

Starker Forests Community Oral History Collection (OH 038)

Publisher

Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Date

June 9, 2008

Contributor

Gary Blanchard

Format

Born Digital Video

Language

English

Type

Oral History

Identifier

oh38-moser-linn-and-ruth-20080609

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Interviewer

Gary Blanchard

Interviewee

Linn and Ruth Moser

Location

Moser residence, Philomath, Oregon

Original Format

Born Digital Video

Duration

0:31:00

OHMS Object

Interview Format

video