The first Finns in Fort Bragg (California) area

Former Finnish Temperance Hall in Fort Bragg

In my past writings I have already dealt with the Finnish Americans and organizations they established in Fort Bragg, in the Northwestern part of California. You can find them here, here and here. In the 1920s and 1930s, Reverend Salomon Ilmonen, who lived his late years in Fort Bragg,  wrote a number of books, which described Finnish Americans and their activities. However, it seems that he have not been enclosed Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti / American Finnish Paper's article 02/13/1880. It gives information about the very first Finnish Pioneers in the region, as well as their wealth. The majority of Finns were working at logging camps and sawmills, but some of them had settled down also as farmers. The article states that the first Finn permanently moved to the region as early as 1869 and others in 1877. So, it can be useful to bring this one article out of obscurity in the history:

Giant redwoods north of Fort Bragg

Noyo, Mendocino Co., California, in January 1880.
Now I get a possibility to give information about this warm summerland, that the winter has been very soggy, but now there is hope that the rain is over and once again become a quite warm summer. Here, the air is very fresh and healthy, and the mortality is very low. I will also mention something about our citizens around here. We are seven young men at this place, who have their own redwood "claims", which currently employs over a hundred Finns. Here you could still get properties in a very appropriate place using the Homestead Law, but the Finns did not much want to become landlords, which is due to the fact that they are so greedy for earnings and in love with money.

Here you can find a lot of work on the sawmills and logging work, which will be paid around  $40 - 45 in a month, food included. Land owner's position is here extremely good because they can keep how many animals they only want. You do not need to acquire shelters for them, because they live outdoors summers and winters. wheat isn't sown here in a big quantity, but instead barley, oats and especially potato and all types of vegetables.

Obituary of Matts Toppila in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti 12/3/1880

Deceased

My tenderly beloved husband Matts Toppila fell into peaceful sleep of death
after a long disease, in Noyo. Mendocino Co, California, in
November 2, 1880, after living 42 years, which is hereby relatives and
friends expressed.

Also, I get a possibility to give a little information about a few of the Finnish residents who have settled nowadays here and live about three English miles from Noyo. Their houses are in a beautiful location, at the coastal highway. The earliest [Finnish pioneer] resident was settled here as early as in 1869, the others not until in 1877. Their financial situation can be seen from the following:

Matts Toppila 115 acres of land, 2 people, 2 horses, 2 cows, 8 hogs, his entire fortune is valued at  $2800 .

Petter Johansson has 125 acres, 5 people, 2 horses, 1 ox, 2 cows, 16 hogs, and his entire fortune is valued at  $3000.

Elias Johanson has 380 acres of land, 1 people, 4 horses, 12 cows, 25 sheep, 30 hogs,
his entire fortune is valued at  $15000

August Jernberg has 40 acres of land, 1 people, 1 cow, 2 oxes, his entire fortune is valued at  $500.

Jacob Kesti has 150 acres of land, 2 people, 3 horses, 1 ox, 2 cows, 30 hogs, his entire fortune is valued at  $3500.

Jakob Hyman has 160 acres of land, 1 people, 2 horses, 2 cows, 18 hogs, his entire fortune is valued at  $ 3000.

One reader of the Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti