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Some other links of recent interest to Pasty Cam watchers:
• Ancestors 2007   • New Arrivals 2007
• Visit The Hut Inn Eight years ago on the Pasty Cam: 06/03/99 ^{Printed on Recycled Internet}

No doubt where the Pasty Cam was traveling eight years ago today. Lake Linden has a newer, bigger water tower a bit farther up the hill and to the right.

Good Sunday Morning!

Good morning! I believe that there is a former Webbervillian in the good town of LL!

Hey, I can almost see my sister's house! It's on the other side of that garage. Will be there next weekend as her daughter, Kori, is getting married.

A great big thank you to Daveofmohawk and FRNash for answering my question yesterday about the translation of (which I mistakenly got) Wolvoja. I knew it was a Finnish language newspaper that my great uncle worked for, but I was curious about what the name meant. It's actually Valvoja meaning 'observer'. jAPEi in Finland had come up with Volvo the car, and Danbury in Germany, like me, had come up empty with the computer translater. Thanks to all of you.

Another question for FRNash: since you remember the Opas as well (my grandfather's newspaper) do you know where its office was located? I always thought it was in Laurium, but could have been in Calumet. Or did the two merge into one paper, the Opas continuing in Finnish, the Valvoja branching into its English version?

I see the trees are all filled out. Are they all still there today?

Top 'o the mornin' to all the pasty friends. Have a good Sunday

Hey it's nice to see a shot of Lake Linden first thing in the morning. Brings back memories.

Good Morning, Everyone, from hazy and soon to be stormy mid-Michigan! Goodness knows that we have enough to do indoors today! Happy Sunday!

My thoughts & prayers are with Mary and her family & Mikie & Precious. I hope that today brings Mikie & Precious, Mary's mom & Kevin one step closer to a full and quick recovery, and that they are all feeling at least a little bit better today!

So very well said Marianne and I just say me too to Mary, Kevin, Precious and Mikie. Have a nice Sunday and I wish it was Ohio getting some of the storms and rain we really need rain. Have a great Sunday.

Maija: What was your great uncles name? My dad worked at the Volvoja for many years as a linotype operator and then worked at the Daily Mining Gazette until he retired in 1979. I still remember a couple of the names of people that he worked with [Art Jarvi, Reino Tula] at the Volvoja and Copper Country News.

maija in Commerce Township (Maija):
"FRNash: … do you know where [the Opas] office was located? — did [the Opas and Valvoja] merge into one paper?"

Sorry, I can't help with that — I just read my granddad's copies of the two papers on the farm in Bruce Crossing way back in the early 1950's.

If you're ever up in Hancock, though, I know where you can research these questions — at the (click) ® Finnish American Heritage Center & Historical Archive at Finlandia University. Or, as noted in the link, "Archive staff can provide limited research assistance, or referrals to local researchers."

I did find this list (at The Genealogical Society of Finland, of all places!) of microfilmed Finnish-American newspapers located at the Finnish-American Historical Archives. Valvoja (complete from 07/02/1927 - 12/29/1956 plus a few earlier years) and Opas (05/30/1931 - 06/19/1957) are included.

From that list, both newspapers appear to have been published in Calumet (although the geography — Red Jacket vs. Calumet vs. Laurium — was a bit fuzzy in earlier years).

maija in Commerce Township (Maija) I am glad someone found it for you. I was even lost, couldnot find it myself. Thank you to whoever found it.
I was just in Lake Linden a couple of weeks ago myself. I love the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The Opas was located on Pine Street in Calumet, less than a block
from the Volvoja. I believe the building is still there.

Okay, you folks step up to da blackboard and write this 100 times:
Volvoja, no: Valvoja — Valvoja — Valvoja — Valvoja …

I spoke to Precious yesterday. Mikie is in the hospital with a collapsed lung. No wonder he was saying he wasn't feeling good & worse each day. With each breath you take, you feel a shooting or stabbing pain in your lung (it's like a collapsed balloon with no air)& you're so short of breath you can barely breathe. (I know I've been there)I'm glad they finally found out what was wrong. He should be out of the hospital in a few days. Precious is improving day by day. She is a very nice woman, I'd never spoken to her before.The kids will be there to help them during their recoveries. Get well soon Mikie, we miss you.

Cotton, thanks for the report on Mikie and Precious; they have had a hard time after this accident. Hope Mary's mom and Kevin are also feeling better.

I've just gleaned another morsel of information about the Finnish language newspapers Valvoja and Opas. This once again from The Genealogical Society of Finland (!), at (click) ® Finnish Newspapers and Periodicals in Michigan
… although the article was originally published in the Michigan History Magazine, Vol. 24, 1940, p. 119-127. I hope this helps.

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Quote:

Valvoja (1915)

In the fall of 1915 S. Mustanen and others organized the Finnish Republican Printing Company at Calumet and shortly began to issue a bi-weekly newspaper, the Valvoja. Among its editors have been Victor Burman, Kalle Haapakoski, Eetu Aaltio, Into Teljo, Jussi Hinkkanen, and R. W. Suojanen. The paper receives its strongest support from the Apostolic Lutheran and Repubican groups in Northern Michigan; its circulation in 1921 was 9000; in 1926, 6800; in 1932, 8426; and in 1935, 8163.

Opas (1930)

A Republican tri-weekly newspaper begun at Calumet in 1930 under the editorship of Victor Burman and published by the Copper Country Printing Company. It reported a circulation of 5400 in 1932, 6540 in 1935.

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Daveofmohawk: my great uncle was Emil Rutila. My grandfather who wrote for the Opas was Charles Rutila. Both might have been spelled Ruuttila in those days.

My grandfather's column in the Opas was "Keeweenaw Gussu" I'm not sure of the spelling of "Gussu" but it was a nickname like Charley for Charles.

I wonder if my grandfather took over the Opas from Victor Burman, because when I was a child visiting, which was probably around 1950, he owned and operated it.

My continued thanks to all for this invaluable information!

Beatrice: THANKS! This gives me a starting place to try to find my grandpa's shop. It also answers the question of if Valvoja and Opas were two separate newspapers.

FRNash: thank you so much. You are awesome!

Thank you for the update on Mikie, Cotton! I am so sorry that he & Precious have had such a rough time of it after their accident. Do they know why his lung collapsed, did he have a broken rib that they missed, or something?

My thoughts & prayers are with them both, as well as with Mary & her family!

FR Nash -- Prof. Kolehmainen was one of the best known historical scholars of early Finnish-American history. I had the pleasure to meet him once in Tiffin, Ohio,where he taught at Heidelberg College for many years. A very impressive person. Your link
Finnish Newspapers and Periodicals in Michigan is one of the most interesting I have seen in some time. Thank you.