Ohio History Journal

THE FINNS IN OHIO*

 

 

BY EUGENE VAN CLEEF

 

The United States has been developed by motley

groups of peoples from numerous divergent lands, prin-

cipally from European countries. Among the represen-

tatives from these foreign nations are stalwart migrants

from fascinating Finland. In the course of a century or

more the Finns have settled largely in our northern tier

of states. Their numbers today, including those born in

this country, but of foreign or mixed parentage, total

320,536. Slightly less than half of them are classified

by the United States census as living in rural districts.

This proportion, however, does not really present a true

picture of their reaction to rural life for great numbers

of those living in small to moderate sized cities own a bit

of land in the surrounding rural territory or in coopera-

tive groups share a small acreage in the city outskirts.

The Finns have very strong inclinations toward an out-

door existence and, for many of those who have been

caught in the swirl of urban complexities, the major

ambition is to own a piece of rural mother earth.

In recent years some of the notable achievements of

the Finnish people have been made known to America

through the masterful contributions of the great com-

poser, Sibelius, and of the brilliant architect, Saarinen,

 

* A radio presentation for the Ohio Academy of Science, Station

WEAO (WOSU), February 24, 1933.

(452)

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The Finns In Ohio             453

to mention but two outstanding figures. Symphony or-

chestras everywhere include in their outstanding pro-

grams "Finlandia," "Valse Triste" or other unique

numbers yielded by the fertile imagination of the great

Sibelius. Architect Saarinen, builder of imposing public

and private structures abroad, and recently creator of

artistic Cranbrook in the environs of Detroit, has left

his impress upon American building design through his

concept of straight line architecture.

In the field of literature the Finns have evolved a

thrilling epic, the Kalevala, which takes its place along

side of the Iliad of Homeric times and the German tale

of the Niebelungen Lied among the world's great epics.

Like the other stories, the Kalevala is a tale of the strug-

gle for existence among the peasantry who have fought

against tremendous odds set by nature in a far northern

forested land. Finnish contributions to the field of art

and science are slowly but surely receiving international

recognition. The Finns have blazed trails in vocational

education, politics, and in national prohibition. They

were the first among European countries to establish

universal suffrage. In fact, the women legislators of

Finland represent a highly influential force in national

affairs. As business experts they hold their own in the

presence of the keenest competition.

Investigations of the distribution of Finns in the

Lake Superior District and in New England have re-

vealed conspicuous numbers located permanently upon

farm lands or planning to develop farms. Many living

in urban centers of these localities are associated with

agricultural industries, particularly with dairying. Mis-

cellaneous industries occupy others. Finns who are in

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454      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

the process of acquiring land usually work in factories

of nearby cities, in mines, sawmills, or during the winter

season at logging.

The natural habitat for the mass of these immigrants

seems to be farm land located in a cool area where lakes

and rivers abound and where a generous distribution of

glacial boulders apparently makes them feel contented

as though in the presence of many friends. The Finns

live in those regions which are physically similar to the

home land. Their distribution in the United States, on

the whole represents a clear-cut response to geographic

conditions.

In Ohio, Finnish settlement has been concentrated in

the northeastern sections in close proximity to Lake

Erie. Many Finns have come to these parts directly

from Finland, and some from other parts of the United

States, more especially from western Pennsylvania.

Considerable numbers were born in Ohio. Their his-

tory of settlement here reveals the fact that they came to

Lake Erie ports as early as 1880, gained employment

upon the ore docks and lake vessels in the summers and

hired out as lumberjacks in the woods of northeastern

Ohio during the winters. In this way they accumulated

some ready cash and shortly entered upon the acquisition

of nearby farm lands. A scattered few practiced an

intercontinental trans-humance, that is they came from

Finland in the spring in time for the opening of naviga-

tion and returned to the home land at the end of the

shipping season.

In view of the characteristics of their native land it

is somewhat surprising to find in Ohio 12,809 Finns of

whom 5633 are foreign born. In the landscape of north-

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The Finns In Ohio             455

eastern Ohio there is an almost total absence of lakes,

and little or no boulder-strewn area. Can it be possible

that the absence of these features, usually constituting a

strong attraction for the Finns, has here led to a loss of

interest in farming and in rural life generally?

As industries developed in the towns of Ohio and the

business of the railroads increased, immigrant Finns

found numerous opportunities for permanent employ-

ment. Their ready adaptability to heavy labor and their

high order of efficiency caused employers to favor them

among the many nationalities which have settled in these

localities. While all Finns are not large of stature nor

of unusual muscular build yet enough possess such phy-

sical stamina that they have established a reputation for

these qualities among manufacturers. Steel companies

utilize Finns in the "hot-mill" where endurance and re-

sistance to high temperatures are desirable attributes.

They are often employed on the docks or in railroad

yards where ability to lift great weights and exceptional

muscular exertion in other operations are essential

requisites.

The assurance of permanent employment at good

salaries, it seems, temporarily banished the Ohio Finn's

thoughts of farming. After working in industry for a

number of years the Finn purchased a home and then as

his children became adapted to an urban environment

separation from an industrial life became increasingly

difficult, if not wholly impossible. In fact, choice no

longer played a part in shaping his destiny. To farm

meant to invest practically all his savings, to assume a

considerable debt and to gamble upon potential returns,

whereas, immediate occupation in industry assured him

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456      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

of a fixed income and guaranteed to his children an

education and some physical comforts such as they

might not enjoy upon a pioneer farm. The permanence

of settlement thus assumed a purely economic aspect.

Accordingly, those Finns in Ohio engaged in agricul-

tural pursuits today represent a very small minority,

likely to become even smaller within the next few years.

Examination of the distribution of Finns within the

urban centers points to a location close to the shores of

Lake Erie. In Cleveland there are 1881 Finns. Three

miles north of Painesville is Fairport Harbor, a part of

the metropolitan district of Painesville. It fronts upon

the lake shore and here are concentrated about 2,500

Finns. Eastward from Painesville is Ashtabula with a

subdivision known as Ashtabula Harbor. Most of the

3,165 Finns live in the section known as "The Harbor"

located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River. Farther

east, in Erie, Pennsylvania, we find a continuation of

the Ohio Finnish district, and there most of the five

hundred Finns live in the northern part of the city near

the lake shore. This distribution raises the query as to

whether Lake Erie has attracted the Finns more strongly

than has the back country, which is devoid of lakes and

rivers of consequence. While some Finns are inclined

to doubt the lake influence, others are of the belief that

not only do the lake waters attract them because of op-

portunities for swimming but that the chill winds off the

lake satisfy the Finnish desire for a cold atmosphere.

Reference has been made to the selection of Finns by

manufacturers for duties which require an ability to

withstand extreme heat or to engage in work necessi-

tating unusual muscular strain. That they can work

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The Finns In Ohio            457

effectively under low temperatures as well as high tem-

peratures has been amply demonstrated in their own

country as well as in the Lake Superior region where

winters in some respects are even more rigorous than in

Finland.

Subjection from childhood to the rigors of the steam

bath and the habitation of dwellings kept at extremely

high temperatures during the long cold winters may

have served as a weeding-out process, leaving to survive

only those persons of exceptional stamina. The Finn

swears by his steam bath. To him it is a vitalizing

health-giving institution unsurpassed by any other de-

vice. In the Ohio Historical Museum located upon the

Ohio State University campus may be seen an exact

model of a private rural bath-house. This was con-

structed by four Finns living in Fairport Harbor and,

so far as known, is the only model of its kind in the

United States.

The bath-house usually covers an area of about ten

by ten feet. Along one wall is a sort of fireplace con-

structed of glacial boulders picked up in the vicinity of

the bath-house. They are cemented together in the old-

fashioned beehive shape so that a fire may be built under

an arch of stones. Along two other walls of the bath-

house, platforms are constructed at three levels. There

may or may not be a window. The doorway, of course,

is built into the fourth side.

Saturday night is the great bath night, although in

the summer season the bath may be taken several nights

each week. On the morning of the day of the bath, or

perhaps as late as noon, a fire is kindled under the stones

and maintained until bath time, that is, about six o'clock.

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458      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

Then the hot coals are pulled out, buckets of water are

thrown upon the stones until the clouds of resultant

steam fill the room. Now the bathers, perhaps an entire

family, having shed their clothing in their living quar-

ters, enter the steam-filled room and distribute them-

selves upon the platforms or shelves. Here they lie for

a time beating themselves with bunches of birch, willow

or other flexible young branches and leaves until they

are "done to a turn." The upper shelves are at the

hottest levels. The bathers may begin their bath here

and come down to the lower platforms toward the end

of the bath or they may reverse the process, starting on

the lower levels and ending on the top shelf. Having

developed a beautiful red glow they throw pails of cold

water upon themselves, or if the bath-house is located

next to a stream or lake, as is frequently the case, the

bathers may plunge into those waters or, if it be winter

and snow is on the ground, they may roll in the snow

and then return to their living quarters to dress.

The steam bath is not exclusively a Finnish institu-

tion. One finds it throughout eastern Europe and even

in Asia. In the United States, aside from the commer-

cialized so-called Turkish bath, the steam bath generally

is found only in Finnish communities. If on a Saturday

evening one tours through the rural districts and sees

smoke or steam issuing from small shacks scattered off

in the distance, one should not be alarmed; the shacks

are not on fire. The scene merely announces to the pass-

ing world that the Finns are enjoying their sacred bath.

Lest we gain the impression that the Finns are

merely towers of strength, I would emphasize here that

they constitute substantial law-abiding citizens of this

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The Finns In Ohio             459

State. They willingly subscribe to progressive ideas;

their children are among the best scholars in the public

schools. Their love for literature is unbounded and

their skill in handicraft and design compares favorably

with that of any other peoples.

A remarkable spirit of cooperation developed in the

home country has been transferred to Ohio as the Finns

have settled in this State. Wherever their numbers are

sufficient to muster an organization we may be certain

to find a cooperative organization of some kind. For

example, in Fairport Harbor a large general store sell-

ing dry goods, groceries, meats and operating a dairy, is

run as a cooperative with two thousand members. Here,

too, we find a commercial steam bath-house, a worker's

boarding house and still other forms of cooperative en-

terprises. A similar story may be told of cooperation in

Ashtabula, Warren, and wherever else that Finns con-

gregate. True cooperation is most successful where the

efforts of an individual to get along alone are likely to

meet with reverses. The cooperative movement is emi-

nently successful in Finland where it assumes national

proportions because the struggle for existence is severe

in a region where natural resources are few and agricul-

ture must be carried on against great odds. Finnish

cooperatives are not monopolistic. They do not seek to

dominate a market, but rather invite competition. Since

the spirit of cooperation has become essentially a part of

the Finnish temperament, it travels with them and wher-

ever they establish themselves cooperative institutions

seem just naturally to arise as a part of their organiza-

tion. We in Ohio can learn much about successful co-

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460      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications operation if we will study the attainments of our Finnish population. Unfortunately, the modesty and general reticence of the Finns have prevented their fine qualities from be- coming widely known and fully appreciated. To culti- vate friendship among these sturdy Finnish peoples is to make a contribution to the cultural level of the State.

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