Finland, Minnesota

The only Finland on Earth doesn't exist in Northern Europe. There are some also in America. One of those is located in Northeastern Minnesota. This Minnesotan Finland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Crystal Bay Township, Lake County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 195. I was able to visit this community  a couple of years ago.

Finland's Co-op store

 The community of Finland is located 6 miles inland from Lake Superior's North Shore; and 39 miles northeast of the city of Two Harbors. The community is located within the Finland State Forest in Lake County. The community was settled mainly by Finnish immigrants in 1895.

The first homes were one room log cabins, which housed the family and provided shelter for anyone else that had need of a place to stay. Mail came by sailboat or steamship in summer and by dogsled in winter. In 1907, the Alger Smith Company built a railroad to the community in order to facilitate its logging operations there. Logging was a major industry, producing great quantities of white pine, cedar, balsam and spruce.

Finland's Post Office

During that time progress came quickly. Roads were built, mail came by an open coach and a Co-op was organized in 1913, Greyhound bus lines began service in 1920 and electricity came in 1939. By 1935 there were 179 Finnish families with about 500 acres of cleared land. Also today a majority of the people in the community have Finnish American background.

Finland is nowadays home to a community center, was home for one Lutheran church, (which was apparently struck by lightning on 6 July, 2013 and burned down http://www.startribune.com/local/214584451.html, see also this news report ), a post office, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, and the Organic Consumer's Association. Local business establishments include a gas station, a motel, four bars, and a cooperative general store.

Finland's Co-op was established in 1913

Here is a link to St Urho's celebration in Finland
And here is a link to Zion Lutheran Church, which has started a project to rebuild their church