In this chapter, I will explore the life story of the Johnson family, residents of the Little Chicago since 1900s, based on my oral history interview with Floyd and Carol Johnson’s daughters. My oral history interview was an amusing journey. In the Trondhjem Church, I met the interviewee, Ms. Kim Smisek, totally by chance on my way searching for Christdala Church, but she was extremely kind to me and helped me a lot with the research by providing oral information as well as a booklet compiled by her sisters and brothers about their parents, Floyd and Carol Johnson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the help of the interview and the booklet, I discovered the “micro-history”of this Little Chicago family throughout the time, which reveals how the individuals within or outside of the family interacted not only with one another, but also with the broader economic, demographic, and social structures. Throughtout the story, I can see a hardworking farmer who also had a dream of an engineer besides no background in engineering; an industrious couple who took good care of the family even during wartime; the transformation of technologies, knowledge and leisure activities across decades; and the possibility and mobility of human beings even within such an “unnoticeable area.” The life of the Johnson family in itself is a spectacular story with individuality, but it also reflects the changes in time and space, as well as how those changes affect people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please click on “Fullscreen Visualization” button for the whole interactive map.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSee fullscreen visualisation of Life and Times of the Johnson Family<\/a>