More articles on Fort Bragg Finns: Founding and building the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Bragg has changes its name to the Trinity Lutheran Church

The first Finn permanently moved to the Fort Bragg region, Mendocino count, in California as early as 1869 and the other early settlers in 1877. In the beginning of 1880s the Finnish population in the area increased rapidly. The Finnish immigrants came to Fort Bragg area because of the employment available in the logging, lumbering and fishing operations, trades they knew from the “old country”. Many members of the Fort Bragg Finnish community felt a need for a church where they could worship in their native language. The Finnish religious heritage was primarily Lutheran and early group of Finns formed al Lutheran congregation on February 17, 1889. The fifteen charter members adopted the name Finland Evangelist Lutheran Church. “Evangelist” was a mistranslation of the Finnish word “evankelis”. Notes from the minutes of this initial meeting establish the identity of founders:

At this first meeting we established and named the church with 15 members. Council members were elected by voice vote
Chairman: John Barquist
Secretary: Johan Petter Westerberg
Treasurer: Johan Guest
Board members: Johan Jensen, Herman Barquist/Berkovitz, Jacob Nyy, Isak Markkula, Jacob Backman (Haiman in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti and in the original minutes), Peter Johanson (missing in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti).
We agreed that the name shall be Suomalainen Evankelis-Lutherilainen Seurakunta and it shall be changed unless the whole congregation agrees. Members shall be morally upright and they shall not be saloon keepers.

The Finland Lutheran Evangelist Church' churchbook.

At the same meeting a lot was secured at the southeast corner of Corry Street and Redwood Avenue.  In  the next meeting in March plans were underway for the construction of a church building and was decided to clear the Church lot. At the meeting on April 28, 1889, a list was prepared for sign-ups for building funds. On June 30, 1889, the architect’s drawings were approved and a loan for $300 was negotiated to purchase lumber. At this point, however, the Mill (Fort Bragg Redwood Company) donated the necessary lumber, first-cut redwood timber which was being harvested at that time.

Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church in Fort Bragg

Following articles were published in the local Advocate-News:

On July 19, 1889:
Lumber is being hauled this week for the building of a Finland Lutheran Church on Redwood Avenue. It will be 30x50 feet and the top of the steeple, 75 feet from the ground.

On July 17, 1889:
New Church
The new Finland Lutheran Church is well under way and everything points to a neat house of worship. Mr. Barqvist desires to return thanks to those who donated toward the project: Fort Bragg Redwood Co $50, C. L. Burbeck $5, H. Houston $2,50, T. L. Johnson $10, H. A. Weller $5, G. W. Perkins $2,50, Geo Berryhill $1,50, Eri Huggins $5, C. R. Johnson $10, Marks & Leiser gave a keg of nails, Julius Wintzer $5, F. Kammerer $1,50, G. A. Johnson $1, Bucholtz Bros. $5, A .A. Lord $2,50, A. F. Carmichael $2,50, H. R. Danders $2, R. Glanders $1,50, A. C. Kimball $1, O. R. Johnson $25, A. B. Cambell $1, J. Barqvist $10, H. Barqvist $5, A. Wilson $5, Matti Pelta (=Pelto?) $10, J. Martin $3, J. Soderman $10, J. P. Westerberg $5, Y. Hyman $5, Jacob Nyy $5, This does not complete the list.

On August 28, 1889:
Work on the Finn Church has stopped for want of funds. This little edifice will present a neat appearance when completed.

On September 18, 1889
The following people are new contributors to the building fund of the Finland Lutheran Church: Peter Peterson $5, F. A. Whipple $5, T. Murray $5, Kaarl J. Jakobson $5, Eza Terraien $6, Herman Berkamtje (=Barqvist?) $6, J. Soderman $4, J.A. Diel $1.

The Finnish Newspaper wrote in the beginning of June, 1890,
that the Finnish Church in Fort Bragg was nearly completed.
Tampereen Sanomat June 4, 1890.

Construction of the building started in September 1889 and in the end of the same year the structure was roofed and closed in enough to hold regular services. The building was finished in the Summer 1890. It was painted both inside and outside, the altar, pulpit and pews were completed, too. The church was built of redwood and fir with clapboard siding on the exterior. There were four Gothic windows on the north side as well as on the south side of the church.

The membership of the congregation grew rapidly. As early as in the end of the foundation year it was counted to rise over one hundred, including children. In the end of the second year the membership had risen to two hundred. Membership has not thereafter at any point increased to enlarge. The church members lived in addition to Fort Bragg in Noyo Hill, Noyo, Caspar, Mendocino, Albion and Comptche. Some live up to thirty miles from the Fort Bragg.

The price of an America ticket in 1884

Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti (American Finnish
Journal), September 26, 1884

Some months ago, I published a description of an immigrant's journey from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean to Copper Country in Michigan. Here's some additional info related to that topic. Shipping companies competed passionately for these passengers with their ads, which were a very important source of income for these small immigrant newspapers. It is likely that without these ads the usually very short life span of immigrant newspapers would have been but a bud. Some of the shipping companies announced their fares in advertising, from departing ports to the key destinations in the "New World". As examples, I picked two shipping company Ads from Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti (American Finnish Journal) in late September 1884 and transformed it to today's (2016) price level. The cost of travel from Finland to Stockholm, Gothenburg or Trondheim should be added to 1884 prices, of course.

The Steamboat Line Companies' ticket prices in 1884 are roughly on the same level as today's lowest air ticket prices. So, the price of crossing the Atlantic has been preserved relatively almost the same for over a hundred years. On the other hand, traveling from a Finnish port to the "Finnish regions" in the central parts of the United States took about two weeks while it takes up to half a day now.

The ticket price of American line from Gothenburg or from Trondheim was only $ 18. When we change it to the price of the day, the cost of a journey accumulates to $ 424. A trip from Stockholm to Philadelphia was priced at $ 21, that is in today's money $ 494. If you bought a ticket from Stockholm to Hancock, the price was already $ 37, which is the equivalent of $ 871 in 2016. If you wanted to travel from Stockholm to one of Finns' favorite places in Minnesota, New York Mills, the price already amounted $ 39.70. It makes $ 934, in the 2016 value.

Dominion Line's price level seems to have been more favorable. You could reach Quebec from all Scandinavian ports for 16 dollars or 376 2016 dollars. If you paid $ 27 ($ 635 in today's money), you could reach Chicago. If the lower prices were due to the Dominion line's modestly contents of the package, or only a stricter pricing, I can’t yet tell on the grounds of the source material.

Finnish Pioneer Monument in Minneapolis

The Finnish Pioneer Monument in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis in 2004

Minneapolis Star, June 22, 1958

I published an interview of Mr. Peter Saarenpaa some weeks ago. He was one of the early Finns living in Minneapolis and described his life in city’s Finntown from the year 1878. Saarenpaa’s interview was made in 1939. When Saarenpaa moved to Minneapolis, the number of Finnish immigrants was quite small. In a letter, published in Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti in May, 1884, it was estimated to be under one hundred. The Finnish "invasion" from the rural Finnish colonies in Minnesota, like Cokato and Franklin began however, in the 1880's.

The Minneapolis’ Finns gathered once in year to celebrate “juhannus”, midsummer, in Glenwood Park/Theodore Wirth Park, west of Finntown.  You can find news of these gatherings in the local newspapers from mid 1920s. This park was a natural place for an erecting of a Finnish Pioneer Monument, which was planned to be part of Minnesota’s centennial celebration. Funds ($ 1200) for this monument was raised by Minneapolis Finnish American Society, which was originally organized in 1939 to send clothing and money to Finland. Finland fought for its survival in the Winter War (1939 – 1940) against Soviet Union at that time.

Some 400 Finnish-Americans gathered, with well needed SISU, to dedicate this monument in a rainy day, June 22, 1958.  I myself have visited at this chunk of Minnesota granite twice. It would be interesting to know whether Minneapolis' Finns gather still in the park?

I collected some newspaper clips related to the monument’s funding and  dedication.

The Minneapolis Star, June 26, 1958

The Minneapolis Morning Tribune, June 23, 1958