Cross-Sectional Medical Alley Oral Histories Project

This grant project recorded the experiences of people in Minnesota’s medical device industry. The Bakken Museum contracted a professional oral historian to help identify participants, develop interview questions, and assist with initial interviews. The museum also hired a paid Early Career Fellow to support research and conduct interviews with narrators. Each interview conducted The Bakken Museum was recorded, transcribed, and reviewed by the participants. The approved interviews were made available through The Bakken Museum’s website, with transcripts stored in the museum library.

This project expanded the documentation of Medical Alley by including a wider range of experiences. Two Bakken staff members learned how to conduct oral histories and continued to record new stories as needed. The process helped the museum collect information about new donations and preserve the stories connected to them. The project supported the museum’s mission to document and share the work of people in science, technology, and health in Minnesota.