Finnish Immigrants in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula
- Mar 15
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 16
The American Dream
Most of the Finns who immigrated to the United States in the 1900’s and before, came because it was so hard in Finland. Many Finns would hear about relatives heading to the United States and doing well. These success stories would inspire even more to make the move. The United States represented hope and opportunity to many immigrants.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula was the location of the first big copper mining boom in the country. More than 400 mining companies have operated in the Copper Country throughout its history. The area drew in thousands of hardworking Finns looking for mining positions.
Exploring Finnish Roots with TV6’s Mandy Koskela
Ted Holmstrom, tour guide at Keweenaw Historic Tours in Hancock, MI, helped TV6’s Mandy Koskela, investigate her connection to the Upper Peninsula. Ted searched through archives and found that Mandy’s great-grandfather, Jaakko, worked for mining corporations after immigrating to the United States in the early 1900’s. Jaakko did both mining and farming to support his growing family.
After further research, Ted found that Jaakko was killed in a dynamite explosion while tunneling towards Lake Superior. He was only 35 years old. These kinds of stories are all too familiar to people who had loved ones working in copper mines. At the time, the price of copper was deadly, one man a week.
Walk Into the Past
If you are interested in learning more about the Finnish American experience in the Keweenaw, take our Finnish Trail Tour. All of our tours are backed with continuous research. Reach out to book your tour and to possibly find out more about your own historic connection to the Keweenaw Peninsula.
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