The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project: Interview with Jon Evert

Titles: The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project: Interview with Jon Evert (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Born and raised in Clay County, Minnesota, Jon Evert owned a farm near Moorhead, Minnesota, and held several local offices, including terms as a member of the county commission. He also served on various boards in the region, including an area basin water board, the International Coalition for Land and Water Stewardship, and the Northwest Disaster Response Network, a group that was formed to consider flood recovery work in the northwestern Minnesota counties affected by the 1997 flood. In addition to maintaining his own farm, Mr. Evert remained active in a number of community organizations in Clay County and throughout the northwest region of the state. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Evert discusses the impact of the 1997 flood on his own farm, the damage to his water supply and property, and the costs he had in recovering from the flood. He also discusses in detail the impact of the flood on many rural areas in the region. He describes the difficulties farmers have had over recent years with crops and finances, and how the flood damage may have accelerated the decline of many small farms. He explains that rural buy-out programs may result in rural townships having no population, and that both town and county tax bases have been severely damaged by flood loses. He discusses some of the international implications that have been brought forth over water management issues after the flood. And he discusses the impact of the flood on the emotional health of many rural residents in the region. He concludes his interview with some observations on the future of smaller farms in the region.

Dates

• 01/21/1998 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Evert, Jon
• interviewer: Shoptaugh, Terry L.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 57
• Accession Number: AV1999.66.12

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project' <OH 57>

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 37 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 90 minutes length

Subjects

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