History of the Finns in Michigan

Great Lakes Books Series

by Armas K.E. Holmio

Michigan's Upper Peninsula was a major destination for Finns during the peak years of migration in the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century. Several Upper Peninsula communities had large Finnish populations and Finnish churches, lodges, cooperative stores, and temperance societies. Ishpeming and Hancock, especially, were important nationally as Finnish cultural centers.
Originally published in Finnish in 1967 by Armas K. E. Holmio, History of the Finns in Michigan, translated into English by Ellen M. Ryynanen, brings the story of the contribution of Finnish immigrants into the mainstream of Michigan history. Holmio combines firsthand experience and personal contact with the first generation of Finnish immigrants with research in Finnish-language sources to create an important and compelling story of an immigrant group and its role in the development of Michigan.

Genres: Nonfiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2001

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally written in Finnish in 1960's, but has been translated into English and reprinted. While I really, really enjoyed reading it, I have to stress it is not a balanced book, but it will tell you almost as much about the views of a certain segment of the Finnish American population during the 60's as it does about the boom years of Finnish immigration. The author utilized tons of primary sources that would be difficult for the average reader to access. It is a local historian's dream. For those familiar with the upper peninsula of Michigan, it is fun to read about places you know and to pick out family names that are familiar. It sheds lot of light on the ideals and disagreements of my grandparents' generation, most of whom are gone now. On the other hand, Holmio's chapter on Finnish labor societies is abysmal, women are missing from most of his narrative, and his brief discussions of the Sámi and race relations in Detroit are cringe worthy at best. If you are new to the topic I would totally recommend a much more balanced history. I am a big fan of Varpu Lindström's work, although she mostly wrote about Finns in Canada.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this massively inclusive research tome 3 and 1/2 stars. While it's an invaluable book for folks like me, writing stories set in early 1900s UP Michigan, it's a bit of slog for casual consumption.
Peace.
Mark

[Levi Keskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I managed to read it from cover to cover, although with some skimming. The book delves with great detail into the history of the Finns in Michigan, although mainly the Western UP.

The first few chapters on the history of Finns and their settlement throughout the US was quite interesting. I did not know before this book that there were Finns who settled in New Sweden. I also enjoyed the description of familiar towns and place names and how they were settled.

One thing that was hard to slog through was the detail into which the author delved into the names of settlers and founders of organizations. These were the parts that I skimmed over, especially the chapters on the Knights of Kalevala and the Ladies of Kalevala.

Overall, if you have a connection to the Finns in the UP, I would recommend this book.