History of the Thomson Farming Area
by John A. Mattinen
translated from the Finnish by Richard Impola
Carlton County Historical Society
$15.00
reviewed by Mike Nardine
History of the Thomson Farming Area is further proof that you should never judge a book by its cover. A chronicle of the life and times of the original Finnish settlers that built Thomson Township, the book's cover is a quiet deep blue surrounding a picture of twenty or so schoolchildren standing in front of a wooden, one-room school house near the turn of the last century. You might think it to be another ho-hum attempt by some well-intentioned but clueless contemporary interviewer to dredge up a lot of boring, maudlin memories from aging pioneers. You'd be wrong…
For one thing, the author, John A. Mattinen was a pioneer himself, emigrating from Finland as a child with his family in 1884. His book was originally written in 1935, in Finnish, and titled "Thomson Mannviljelysseudun Historiaa." For another, perhaps because he was one of them and knew the people he was writing about so well, his anecdotes and biographical sketches of these settlers are never mawkish. If anything, they come more alive and interesting than those in many novels.
Mr. Mattinen had a clever, dry wit and a sharp eye for character. For example, relating the story of Isaac Koljonen, an old Finn who tried to build a flying machine way back in 1887, he says "his attempts were unsuccessful, of course, but there must have been buoyancy in his contraction, for he was never hurt even though he made efforts to fly, even from the peak of a barn roof. In truth, he is said to have besmeared himself by making the leap in the summer, when the manure outside the barn was soft." And for those who believe the Finns to be a dour bunch, uninterested in anything but work and church, there's the story of poor Albert Mikkola who "bought his farm in 1883 and sold it to Joseph Juntunen in 1885. But that isn't the whole story. He regretted his stupidity in putting his money into such a heap of rocks and brush, and was happy to run into a man even more foolish than he to buy it. On top of such a serious blunder, his wife realizing he was not a fully responsible person, left him and ran off with Tuomas Hongisto in 1885. The two were never heard from or seen again…And since those involved, at least in this area, have all died, no one is looking for them either. Presumably they too are in the House of Hades."
History of the Thomson Farming Area is an excellent—indeed obligatory—source for research on Thomson Township. Besides the wonderful anecdotes and biographical sketches there is a wealth of information on early railroads and businesses and an interesting bit of background on Jay Cooke Park (viewed as a rapacious inside trader by many, Jay Cooke is a visionary to John Mattinen). For the anthropologist, there’s even a section on the care of dead bodies and funeral practices. Even outsiders with little knowledge of Finland or Finns, and no interest in their history can’t help but be charmed by this book. “When a Finn settles down somewhere and gets a roof of some kind over his head, if he doesn’t have a cow that needs a shelter, a sauna is the second structure to be built.” In fact, this book is worth the time—and money--of any reader in the Northland looking for background on this area and something interesting and different to read.