Since the inception of the Priest Lake Museum, one of the missions has been conducting oral interviews. We collected more than 100 interviews and many have been transcribed. Do you know someone we should interview? Contact Us
Listen to some of our oral histories:
Harriet (Klein) Allen (1905-1988) was the granddaughter of Joseph Slee, proprietor of the first marina on Priest Lake. Her uncle was W.W. Slee, namesake and captain of the one of the earliest steamboats on the lake. She is a great storyteller, sharing memories of early Coolin and Priest Lake personalities.
Harriet Allen
Harriet Allen Part 2
Harriet Allen Part 3
Harriet Allen Part 4
Russ and Mona Bishop developed the marina at Coolin in the 1940s. Mona’s father, Ed Elliott, operated tugboats, including the Tyee, on the lake. Russ served as the pilot and Mona as the deck hand. Listen to their stories about operating steamboats and moving the giant log booms down the lake.
Russ and Mona Bishop
Russ and Mona Bishop Part 2
Ike Elkins (1898-1989) first came to the lake on a fishing expedition in 1912. In 1932, he acquired a rustic resort of fishing cabins on Reeder Bay. Listen to his tales of transforming a rustic fishing camp into Elkins Resort.
Ike Elkins
Ike Elkins Part 2
The museum has over 100 oral histories. Some of these are highlighted in our book, Pioneer Voices of Priest Lake. You can look over the complete list of participants and contact us if you would like to know more them.