Minnesota Resort Industry Oral History Project: Interview with Rollis Bishop

Titles: Minnesota Resort Industry Oral History Project: Interview with Rollis Bishop (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Rollis Bishop was born 1922 in Long Prairie, Minnesota. Son of Harold N. Bishop. His family owned and operated Bishop's Department Store since 1928 in Park Rapids, Minnesota. He was a businessman and long time supporter of Itasca State Park. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Why family moved to Park Rapids. Start up of Bishop Department Store. Rollis's school and college years, experiences at Thomson Products in Cleveland during WWII; service in US Navy from V-J Day to 1946. Rollis describes store customers and merchandise; his father's reason for selling grocery department; impact of bank holiday; store expansion projects; seasonality of business, competition from other stores; what kind of merchandise is carried and why; how a small clothing store in a small town has remained profitable and viable for 60 years. Changes in Park Rapids area and customer base over the past thirty years. Relations between town and Itasca State Park. Boyhood experiences in the Park; description of accommodations in the Park; opinion of Park management; experiences on Park advisory board; formation of Citizens Supporting Itasca Park which became Friends of Itasca Park.

Dates

• 11/17/1999 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Bishop, Rollis
• interviewer: Fogerty, James E.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 79
• Accession Number: AV2000.128.1

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Minnesota Resort Industry Oral History Project' <OH 79>

Quantity: 3 hours sound cassette 45 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 180 minutes length

Subjects

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