Eva Cross Interview, November 6, 1993

Eva Cross discusses her personal and family history including how her family came moved to Red Lodge, Montana, in the late 1800s. She tells stories about her childhood and how often she moved around the country when after she was married. Cross describes her father’s journey from Missouri to Red Lodge in 1883, where he established a homestead and started several businesses, including a newspaper, ice harvesting and delivery and a cafe. She talks about her sisters and their marriages. Cross recalls the schoolhouse in Red Lodge, some of the first families who settled there, the coal mining industry in Red Lodge and Bearcreek, and the role of the railroad in the founding of Red Lodge. She recalls how the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration and arrival of electricity upended the coal mining industry in the area. Cross also details the many times that she and her husband moved around the country including Oregon, California, and Florida. She talks about the jobs they found, such as working for Douglas Aircraft during World War Two, and the businesses they started including an ice cream parlor and chinchilla breeding facility.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/evacross_oralhistory/1000/thumbnail.jp