Keith Pratt T4 [Tape Four]

Contributors

Interviewer: Thompson, Reg "Dutch"

Interviewee: Pratt, Keith

Researcher: Gray, Tristan John and MacKay, Paul

Audio engineer: Gray, Tristan John

Date Recorded

2003-07-24

Date Digitized

2010-03-12

Abstract

Keith Pratt talks about many different topics detailing his life in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s in rural Prince Edward Island. In this recording he talks about several of his firsts: his first expierences with planes, tractors, phones and radios. He also talks about evolution of egg grading stations, and what kind of people ate lobster in his early years. He also touches on Christmas time, pranks, and trains. One of his final topics is when power came to his home town in the 50's and how it was knocked out less than 6 months later by an ice storm.

Genre

Subject (Geographic)

Subject (Temporal)

Rights

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Physical Location

Held by Reg "Dutch" Thompson

Duration

01:03:51

Member of

Dutch Thompson Audio Collection

Model

1 1 Item in Collection

Transcript

SIDE A 00:00:00 -- 00:01:30
Discussion about Gaelic and French; Gaelic, French.

SIDE A 00:01:30 -- 00:02:45
Discussion about lobster and lobster canning; lobsters, lobster canneries.

SIDE A 00:02:45 -- 00:05:11
Discussion about Christmas; Christmas, molasses, Christmas dinner.

SIDE A 00:05:11 -- 00:06:15
Discussion about quiet Sundays; Sundays, quiet Sundays, religion.

SIDE A 00:06:15 -- 00:08:33
Keith talks about how often people burned coal and wood in their homes during the year; coal, firewood, stoves.

SIDE A 00:08:33 -- 00:10:19
Discussion about the first telephones; party lines, telephones, Dr. Gallant.

SIDE A 00:10:19 -- 00:13:10
Keith talks about tobacco twists being sold at Pratt's store and people making boxes for them; tobacco, twist, chewing tobacco, eggs.

SIDE A 00:13:10 -- 0016:52
Discussion about shipping eggs, egg inspectors, and starting an egg grading station; eggs, egg grading, egg inspectors, shipping.

SIDE A 00:16:52 -- 00:20:54
Discussion about eggs; eggs, egg inspectors, egg grading.

SIDE A 00:20:54 -- 00:23:33
Keith and Dutch talk about flour and how they would make clothing out of flour and sugar bags; flour, clothing, flour bag clothes, homemade clothes.

SIDE A 00:23:33 -- 00:24:35
Discussion about a train called "The Million Dollar Train" because Charlie Dalton moved foxes on it; foxes, fox ranching, trains, Charlie Dalton.

SIDE A 00:24:35 -- 00:31:11
Discussion about cars and one of his first times driving in the early 1930s; Chevrolet, driving, cars, accidents.

SIDE A 00:31:11 -- 00:31:49
Discussion about Frank Doyle's airplane and taking Keith for a ride; planes, airplanes, bi-plane, flight, pilots, Frank Doyle.

SIDE A ends at 00:31:49.
SIDE B 00:31:58 -- 00:34:07
Discussion about Frank Doyle's airplane and taking Keith for a ride continues; planes, airplanes, bi-plane, flight, pilots, Frank Doyle.

SIDE B 00:34:07 -- 00:34:44
Discussion about rationing during WWII; rations, WWII, rationing.

SIDE B 00:34:44 -- 00:36:18
Keith talks about the first tractors; tractors.

SIDE B 00:36:18 -- 00:38:17
Keith's first memories of the trains and some of the poor winters that affected them; trains, steam engines, ice, winters, snow.

SIDE B 00:38:17 -- 00:39:38
Discussion about mussel mud and gambling; mussel mud, trains, gambling, boxing.

SIDE B 00:39:38 -- 00:40:42
Discussion about home children from England; home children, WWII, orphans.

SIDE B 00:40:42 -- 00:45:40
Discussion about Father John MacDonald and the communication between trains by whistles; train whistles, pranks, trains, Father John MacDonald.

SIDE B 00:45:40 -- 00:52:13
Discussion about shipping oats; oats, black oats, shipping, trains.

SIDE B 00:52:13 -- 00:55:22
Keith tells a story of a hobo from the States; hobos, trains, traveling.

SIDE B 00:55:22 -- 00:56:45
Discussion about ice cream from Summerside; ice cream, Summerside, Olympia Ice Cream, picnics, shipping.

SIDE B 00:56:45 -- 00:59:00
Keith's memories of the ice-storm of 1956; power outages, ice storms, 1956, winter, electricity, storms.

SIDE B 00:59:00 -- 01:03:51
Keith talks about his first experiences with radio; radio, Boston, radio programs.

Tape ends at 1:03:51.