America 250: Influence of Finnish immigrants lingers in Longview
An old pun referenced in a 1938 essay goes: Why is the Columbia River like a fish? Because it has Finns on both sides.
Though not memorialized as sports mascots by local high schools, Finnish immigrants have a history in Longview and the surrounding parts of Washington and Oregon that dates back to the 19th century. The Columbia Heights area was known for its Finnish community, and local churches offered services in Finnish into the 1960s.
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Early Finnish immigrants
In "Sisu Defined Grandparents' Generation," an essay published in the December 2010 issue of the Cowlitz Historical Quarterly, author Carolyn Caines wrote about a pamphlet titled "The Evergeen State" that circulated in Finland in the early 1900s. It described Washington as "a land of snow-capped mountains and thousands of acres of lush forests and lakes, much like the Finnish homeland," and encouraged young people to immigrate.
Caines' grandparents were among many Finns from their village, Puolanka, who chose to emigrate to America around that time, driven by economic pressure and concerns about being conscripted into the Russian army.
The two arrived separately and reconnected in Astoria, Oregon, before later settling in Columbia Heights. At the time, locals called the area Finn Hill or the Puolangan Hills, as many residents came from Puolanka, Caines wrote.
Finnish placard
This placard commemorating the history of first Finnish settlers to the Longview area was installed on Columbia Heights Road in Longview in 2016.
Many of the immigrants, especially women, never learned English and raised their children to speak Finnish, Caines wrote. The community was isolated from the nearby towns, with weekly trips to the store comprising an all-day event.
Columbia Heights residents worked together to build a church on Columbia Heights Road, which was later named the Finnish Mission Congregational Church. It was eventually torn down in the late 1970s, but an informational placard about its history now stands at the location.
According to a 2016 article in The Daily News, the dedication event for the placard included a performance of "Silent Night" in Finnish and English.
Groups of Finnish immigrants also settled in Kalama and Woodland, where they built Finn Halls to serve as community gathering places.
Finn Hall
Finn Hall is a 5-acre historical site off Lewis River Road in Woodland and includes picnic tables and benches.
The Woodland Finn Hall was once rented out to serve as a Marxist summer school in 1928, The Daily News reported in 1991. The decision "caused an uproar in the community," and some locals threatened to run the school out of town, according to the article.
A committee raised money in 1976 to place a marker at the site of Finn Hall in Woodland, which was located on Finn Hall Road and Lewis River Road, according to a Daily News article published at the time. A committee member, Helmi Kortes, is quoted as saying that it did not receive any state or federal funds for the marker.
Blending cultures
A series of essays written in 1937-1938 by Ruth Huntington, collected by the Washington State Historical Society, describes Columbia Heights in the 1930s as a community of farmers with a mix of Finnish and American culture.
"The second and third generation, many of them married out of their nationality, are becoming thoroughly Americanized," Huntington wrote in a 1938 essay.
Older immigrants, especially women, did not know much English, and Finnish remained the primary language in many homes, Huntington wrote. Children learned English in school, and men learned it as part of their business dealings.
Elements of Finnish culture, such as music and wedding traditions, remained an important part of community life. Saunas, which Huntington described with some trepidation as a "kill or cure" experience, were also popular.
Traditional Finnish dishes
Traditional Finnish dishes await guests in the home of Lempi Hendrickson of Kalama in this photo from the March 5, 1981, edition of The Daily News. On the table from left, are a custard pancake, usually served hot; a fruit pudding made from a farina base; a plate of cold cuts at center front; prune tarts on the silver tray, some also filled with apricot; a sweet bread at rear center; and far right, cardamon bread.
Church calendars published in The Daily News show services at the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church in Longview were held in both English and Finnish into the early 1960s.
In the mid-1970s, the church changed its name to the Longview Laestadian Lutheran Church, mirroring a new nationwide preference. It still offers services today, though its website doesn't state whether any are in Finnish.
The Laestadian movement started in the 1840s in Sweden and was brought to America by Finnish immigrants. It is generally conservative, with the official American website stating that the church opposes contraception, divorce and homosexuality.
From the Archvies: Finnish history in Cowlitz County
Check out stories in The Daily News from the '70s to the '90s about Finnish history and locals.
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