 | | This 1921 Finnish farmhouse of cedar was built by an immigrant subsistence farmer. He and his wife raised five children in it. | A homey Finnish-American cultural center, Little Finland is also a museum, one of those charming, completely unprofessional museums where the people - exceptionally friendly people - are more the attraction than any particular artifacts. Your tour guide may tell you a story from family experience - for instance, how one guide's grandmother arrived at Ellis Island with a bunch of adventurous girlfriends who had all saved up to emigrate, and how she was recruited to be a maid in Wisconsin. (Many Finnish women immigrated, in contrast with groups like Greeks and Italians, where men came first and sent for wives once they had become established.)
The Harma House log farmhouse has been moved onto the site and furnished from the donor's memory. An authentic Finnish sauna is a recent addition.
Little Finland's large hall showcases hold photographs of Finnish immigrants and the Old Country mementos they brought along. Delicious baked goods are for sale here, and plenty of coffee. Local people often stop by just for that. The hall can be rented for reunions and gatherings.
In the lower level there's a fine gift shop of Finnish imports: famous contemporary glassware, folk-inspired table linens, Finnish folk costume dolls, and woven hangings (often with animal or pine tree motifs) and rugs. There are also instructional tapes for Scandinavian languages, and a large selection of English-language books on Finnish-American subjects. Finnish music ranges from the contemporary Vårttinå, influential in world music, to the U.P.'s homegrown accordion celebrity of years ago, Viola Turpeinen.
Special events include Laskaianen, a midwinter festival in February; the March 16 St. Urho's Day, invented in Minnesota to provide a Finnish-American counterpart to what St. Patrick's Day became among Irish-Americans; Mother's Day and Christmas choral concerts; music and a bonfire to celebrate Juhannus (a midsummer dance the Saturday closest to June 21); and an ethnic dinner during Hurley's August Heritage Days.
The surrounding park, with picnic table and a monument to Finnish-American pioneers, is named after Robert Gard, poet and University of Wisconsin professor, whose enthusiasm for Finnish culture was instrumental in establishing Little Finland in 1964.
On U. S. 2, a little west of U.S. 51 just outside Hurley. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 to 2 from April through December. (715) 561-4360. www.littlefinland.com
Donation appreciated. Wheelchair-accessible: main hall. Not gift shop. Log house with assistance.
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