Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Historical Geography of the Finns in the Sudbury Area

345 Pages·1999·33.517 MB·English

by  Oiva W. Saarinen

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This map illustrates the boundaries of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury, the
geographic context for much of this study. Situated in Northern Ontario, the
municipality comprises the cities of Sudbury and Valley East and the towns of
Capreol, Nickel Centre, Onaping Falls, Rayside-Balfour and Walden. Shown also
are the locations of the Finnish working-class districts and rural enclaves discussed
in the text. The shaded and oval-shaped mineralized zone is where the mines oper-
ated by Inco and Falconbridge can be found.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
A Historical Geography of the Finns
in the Sudbury Area
Oiva W. Saarinen
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities
and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through
the Book Publishing Industry Development Program for our publishing activi-
ties.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Saarinen, Oiva W., 1937-
Between a rock and a hard place : a historical geography of the Finns
in the Sudbury area
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88920-320-2
1. Finnish Canadians—Ontario—Sudbury Region—History. 2.
Finns— Ontario—Sudbury Region—History. I. Title.
FC3099.S83Z71999 971.3'13300494541 C98-932487-7
F1059.5.S83S22 1999
1999 Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Waterloo, Ontario N2L3C5
Cover design by Leslie Macredie using photographs supplied
by the Finnish Canadian Historical Society
Printed in Canada
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be repro-
duced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without
the prior written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording,
taping or reproducing in information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this
book shall be directed in writing to the Canadian Reprography Collective, 214 King
Street West, Suite 312, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3S6.
Contents
List of Tables, Figures, Maps, Aerial Photograph and Biographies ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter
I. Finnish Settlement in Canada 5
Immigration 5
Distribution 18
Demographic Characteristics 25
II. Geographical Pattern of Finnish Settlement in the
SudburyArea 29
Migration to the SudburyArea 30
Distribution 34
Copper Cliff 35
Temporary Mining Camps 44
Company Towns of Garson and Creighton 47
Sudbury and Environs 50
Downtown 52
Donovan 62
Lockerby 65
Rural Enclaves 69
Waters Township 70
Lome Township (Beaver Lake) 74
Louise Township (Whitefish) 82
Broder Township (Long Lake) 87
Dill, Cleland, Secord and Burwash Townships (Wanup) 92
Post-World War II Trends 99
Lake Panache Recreational Zone 102
Florida as a Winter Destination 108
III. The Great Divide 109
The Legacy of Finland 112
v
vi Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The Influence of Russia/Soviet Union 116
The United States Factor 117
Domestic Factors 124
Early Factionalism in Copper Cliff 125
Shift of Radicalism to Sudbury 130
Socialism and the Labour Movement 130
Vapaus, the FOC and Communism 133
The Comintern and the Bolshevization Controversy 135
The Finnish Crisis 138
Split with the Co-operative Movement 141
Communist Trials and Deportation 143
Karelia-Fever 144
Sale of Liberty Hall 147
Government Surveillance 147
Conservative Countermovement 155
Finnish State 155
Finnish National Society of Sudbury and the Central
Organization of Loyal Finns in Canada 156
The Fighting Church 158
Vapaa Sana 161
World War II and Its Aftermath 163
Finnish-Canadian War Effort 163
Left-Wing Suppression 164
Canada-Finland Assistance 165
Finnish Canadian Historical Society 166
Growth and Consolidation of the Church 167
Centennial Year and Finland Week 170
Decline of FOC, COLFC and Vapaus 171
Finnish Canadian Cultural Federation 173
Finnish Institutions and the Canadianization Process 174
IV Finns in the Workplace 177
Labour Force (1883-1945) 178
Transportation 178
Mining and Construction 179
Lumbering 181
Farming 184
Workers' Rights and the Labour Movement 187
Gender Equality in the Labour Force 196
Post-World War II Employment 208
V Finnish Cultural Contributions to the Sudbury Area 221
Sports 221
Athletic Clubs 222
Wrestling/Bodybuilding 225
Cross-Country Skiing 226
Track and Field 229
Gymnastics 229
The Summer Festival Tradition 230
Performing Arts 233
Contents vii
The Sauna 248
Knights and Ladies of Kaleva Organizations 251
Sudbury Finnish Rest Home Society 252
Sudbury Suomi Lions Club 255
Finnish War Veterans (Sudbury) 258
Finnish Language Schools 258
Symbolic Ethnicity 259
VI. Conclusions and Retrospect 263
Notes 279
Bibliography 301
Index 315
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List of Tables, Figures, Maps, Aerial
Photograph and Biographies
Tables
1. Immigration to Canada (1883-1994) 10
2. Finnish Settlement in Canada by Province/Territory (1901 -96) 19
3. Finnish Settlement in Canada by Single and Multiple Origins (1996) 20
4. Finnish Population by Census Metropolitan Area (1996) 24
5. Religious Affiliation of Finnish Canadians (1931-81) 27
6. Finnish Ethnic Origins by Selected Age Groups (1931 and 1991) 28
7. Number of Finns in the Sudbury Area (1921-96) 30
8. Finnish Settlement in the Sudbury Area (1921-41) 51
9. Finns in the Donovan Neighbourhood (1911-91) 65
10. Population of Finnish Origin by Federal Polling Districts (1980) 100
11. Patented Land Parcels by Finns in the Lake Panache Area (1917-89) 103
12. Finnish Newspapers and Magazines in Canada (since 1897) 124
13. Ministers of St. Timothy's Evangelical Lutheran Church (1896-1998) 159
14. Ministers of St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church (1932-1998) .... 160
15. Selected Finnish Enterprises/Professions in the Sudbury Area
before 1945 207
16. Selected Finnish Enterprises/Professions in the Sudbury Area
after 1945 209
17. Finnish-Canadian Skiing Champions from the Sudbury Area 227
18. Annual Summer Music and Sports (Grand) Festivals
in Canada (1930-97) 231
ix