History of a demolished Finn Church in Lead, South Dakota

The Black Hills Weekly, June 9, 1971

This is a story of now demolished Finnish church and defunct congregation in Lead, Black Hills, South Dakota. I have written one article about this congregation and Snoma Cemetery some years ago. I have got new information for this short article from the local newspapers and in Calumet, Mich., published Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti (American Finnish Journal). I have also got some copies of congregation's church books. The main source has been an article in Black Hills Weekly, June 9, 1971. 

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The old Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church, whose history was nearly as old as the town of Lead itself, was planned to be razed (in June 1971) to provide additional parking area for the visitors to the Black Hills, who tour the surface workings of the Homestake mine.

Births in the Lead Apostolic Lutheran Congregation,
Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti 05/30/1888

Located just above the Homestake tour guide house on Mill Street, the white wooden church was situated on Homestake ground and through the years has been the recipient of assistance from the mining company for its maintenance. Although extremely active during the years when a good percentage of the city’s population was Finnish, the church’s congregation was gradually dwindled through the years until it could no longer afford to support a resident minister but depended upon visiting clergymen or laymen preachers. No services had been held in the church for the past year (1970). Although the church was not first incorporated until February 14, 1898, the congregation converted a log school house in the Washington addition of Lead for its services. Located on McCloud Street, the building was purchased June 18, 1888 from an L.R. Graves. But even earlier in 1887, was recorded the first birth in the congregation. In Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti (American Finnish Journal) the first congregational information related to the Apostolic Lutheran church in Lead was in May, 1888. It was given by Reverend Nels Pietila.

Layman preacher Matt Rivinoja's and his wife's
headstone at Hope Cemtery, in Newell, SD.

Signing the first incorporation papers were Henry Kirkila/Kiekila/Kickala. I. D. Pilda, Jacob Ojala, Gust Abramson and Jacob Korpela. The first records of minutes were dated February 4, 1895

The first pastor hired by the congregation was a Rev. Henry Jankala and some of the member’s names in 1898 included Matt Larson, Benjamin Hastie, Abe Lehto, Isaac Jeremiason, John Hikkela (Heikkila?), Sackari Seppala, Abner Kivijarvi, Aate Pelto, William Johnson, Fred Kangas, Lars Jacobson, Matt Rautio, Auti (Antti?) Tahti, Henry Buskala, Gust Abramson and Fred Niemonen. The secretary was Matt Larson and presiding trustee, Benjamin Hastie.[1]

The Mill Street church building was purchased from Mr. and Mrs Maurice Walsh of Spearfish for $3000 in January, 1909, and was formerly a store. Trustees at that time were Benjamin Hastie, Frank Anderson and John H. Frimodig. Pastor Nels Pietila was the pastor from around 1902 until his death in 1927.[2] He married, baptized and confirmed many members of families in the area. Birth records show names of towns, which like many of their residents are no longer alive, such as Perry, Brownsville, Horse Creek and Snoma. The services were all conducted in Finnish. Members of early-day congregation recalled that Pastor Pietila wore a beard and was a saintly-appearing man. He held the respect of the youngest Sunday School pupil to the oldest members.

Layman preacher Matt Aijala

Matt Rivinoja, a shoemaker by trade, served as a layman preacher until his death in 1932 and from then on the congregation secured visiting ministers and missionaries whenever they were available.  Rivinoja lived in Newell. Two other members served congregation as lay preachers, at times, in addition to Pietila and Rivinoja. They were Benjamin Hastie and Charles Aarni. The Rev. Raymond Tulkki of Michigan served as pastor years 1941 – 1942. He was followed by Matt Aijala, layman preacher, who came from Moose Lake, Minnesota. He served until his death in 1961.

Pastors from neighboring states held services, for several years, often in private homes as the congregation became smaller and smaller with the passing of older families. Some of these included Benjamin Hastie, John H. Frimodig, Charles Aarni, Andrew Autio, Isaac Fors, Konola, Rantanen, Kermu, Ahonen and Lagg familes. The congregation filed for incorporation March 26, 1948, after its first 50-year charter expired. A group of five Lead residents obtained incorporation papers. They were William Rautio, John Harju, Lempi Kormu, Fannie Lomheim and Mary Jacobson.

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[1] In Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti appears also following names: William Wuopio, Isak Fardig, Henry Hiltunen, Matti Ojala, Johan Koskela, Abram Kiwijarwi, Esaias Pekkala, Johan Fredrik Niemi, Isak Kermu, Henrik Haka, Kalle Perttula, Kustu Ojala, Abram Luukkonen

[2] Nels Pietila was lay preacher/pastor in the congregation already from the year 1886.

Greasewood Finnish Cemetery, Umatilla County, Oregon (English version)

A view from the cemetery to the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church

Previously, I have already written in my blog about many [Finnish] grave monuments and graveyards. It has also been very interesting to visit foreign cemeteries. A memorable visit was once to Snoma Finnish Cemetery in South Dakota. In late June and early July in 2005, I did a couple of weeks trip from the US Mid-West to the West Coast. During the trip, I tried to stop those regions, where the Finnish immigrants had been settled. This meant also circling at the cemeteries Finnish immigrants had erected there.

Finland Cemetery, Umatilla County, Oregon

Another view to the cemetery

One area inhabited by the Finnish immigrants in the 1800s is located in the Northwestern corner of state of Oregon, in Umatilla county. The nearest larger town and at the same time the capital of county is called Pendleton. Finnish colony was named after the city to “Pendletonin siirtokunta” = Pendleton colony. Eleven miles north of the city and five miles to the west from a small town called Adams, stands an old church erected by the Finns in 1884, Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church. The church building was left off the regular active use of in 1965. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the church gathered on every first Sunday of the month, when the traveling pastor Carl Niemitalo held services. The church was renovated between 1985 - 1986 and added to the National Register of historic buildings in1988. Although the church activity in the building has already ended, there will be organized a variety of events and weddings from time to time. A good article about the history of the church can be found in East Oregonian’s archives.

The landscape of the cemetery nearby

The history of that church is strongly related a cemetery which is located a quarter  mile north at Enbysk Road. It now bears the name of Finland Cemetery. The area was purchased from John F. Adams. In the late 1800s and early 1900s almost all Pendleton colony Finns were buried there. The majority of the colony's population belonged to the Apostolic Lutheran faith and were buried in the in the northern half of the cemetery. The minority, Evangelical Lutherans, were buried in the southern half. Almost all cemetery tombstones have been photographed in 2005 and can be found here. In recent decades there has been only few funerals

When I arrived on 29^th June, 2005, in the evening sun to Greasewood cemetery, I was amazed about the beauty of this dry Oregonian landscape. Yellow wheat fields were blowing in the wind and spread far to the horizon. From the freshly plowed land rose small devil’s dusts moved by sudden gusts of wind. Far away were looming blue-green wooded hills and mountains (Blue Mountains). The only sounds you heard were the whisper of wind and the swish of swaying wheat straw.  Below the cemetery a quarter mile away rose the silhouette of the in 1884 erected Church.

Even mom's little kitty was buried in the cemetery and got its own wooden cross

Cemetery itself is separated from the area around with a fence and is located in the middle of wheat fields. In the cemetery grow some small trees and shrubs, apparently dry, alkaline soils thrive greasewoods, of whom the place is named. In Finland, we are accustomed to the fact that the graveyards are very well kept, lush green and often filled with flower beds. The United States and Canada, the situation may be quite different. Especially in some parched areas of the Midwest cemeteries are quite spartan and bleak. Cemeteries are maintained in practise on voluntary basis, relatives take care of the graves but hardly no one takes care of general view. It’s often prohibited to bring natural flower to the cemeteries, so at the graves you see just plastic flowers. Greasewood cemetery was just like this. The soil was cracked by drought around the graves, and clean sandy paths and roads didn’t criss-cross between green lawns. On top of some graves had been set beer cans (which seems very strange when you know how the cemetery founders had absolutely negative attitude to alcohol). Even mom's little kitten was buried in the cemetery and got its own wooden cross. While spreading around the cemetery landscape was very impressed, cemetery itself left a negative impression on me.

Headstone of Sackris and Wilhelmina Hendrickson. Sackris Hendickson was a lay-minister of the Greasewood Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church