John and Sanna Larson operated a gas station/grocery store from 1941 to 1960 in the Suomi Location, which is located on M-35, 3.5 miles south of Palmer. (Photo courtesy of the Negaunee Historical Society)

The signs that once gave this area a name were taken down when the bridges were removed but it does have a colorful history.

Suomi Location is located on M-35, three and half miles south of Palmer, situated in a setting of hills with tow creeks, the Warner, on the north end and the Schweitzer, on the south end curving through to form the East branch of the Escanaba River. In the late 1880s, two “lumber jobbers” operated lumber camps.

Freeman’s camp was near the Schweitzer and Hockings was in the Gribben lake area. The Warner Creek was probably named after Charles Warner, a man of German descent, who built a shack in the 1890s and the creek ran through his property. His property passed on to the German Society and later was acquired by John Larson Sr.where he had a farm.

About 1895, Mr. and Mrs Andrew Isaacson and their baby son, were the first original Finnish settlers to come to the area. They made a mud dugout in the banks of the Scheitzer to live in. Mr. Isaacson built a log home where they lived for a short time before he died, his wife carried their one and half year old child to Palmer to report her husband’s death and never did return. The first settlers to come and stay were from Finland and so the community became known as “Uusi Suomi,” which means New Finland. In later years the Uusi was dropped and became Suomi Location.

Among those first settlers in 1896, were Mr. and Mrs. Antti Kultalahti, soon followed by the families of John Johnson, Israel Pyykkonen, Israel Moilanen, Matt Lahti, Charles Lemberg, Matt Larson, John Larson and William Korpi and John Kangas. They were all farmers and managed to feed their growing families from bleak farms and bountiful game in the forest.

The first death in the settlement happened in mid winter and John Larson made a coffin out of boards and covered it with tar to keep it from rotting. The coffin was kept in a shed until a hard crust formed on the snow and the coffin was placed on a pair of skis, and Larson and Pyykkonen, also on skis, pulled the coffin to the Bakkala cemetery about six miles.

In 1908, four local farmers bought a sawmill and it was located on the banks of the Schweitzer, near what the locals called “Johnson’s curve.” With no one in charge it was run haphazardly and later purchased by John Larson Sr. and moved it to his property on what is now M-35. This mill would run on a day and night shift and was in operation until 1945. Special jobs were done for friends until it was dismantled in 1951.

A “shingle mill” was built on a small branch of the Warner Creek. It was run by a water wheel and the farmers used these shingles on their buildings. It was a useless operation because it could only be run when the water was high, subsequently the Warner became known as the “useless creek.”

A one-room schoolhouse was built in 1904-5 and in 1927 the children were bussed to school in Palmer. the first mail delivery was tried in 1909 but there wasn’t enough mail to continue and it became necessary to pick up your mail in Palmer.

The rural mail delivery started in 1937 through the Palmer Post Office and in 1945 the mailing address was changed to Negaunee and the Negaunee Post Office delivered the mail.

In March of 1910, the Kultalahti family had a stillborn infant and Mr. Kultalahti donated an acre of land for a cemetery. There are about 40 bodies buried there. The first was the infant and Mr. Kultalahti himself in 1935.It was at the infant’s funeral that a decision was made to organize a church.

On March 17, 1910, the Finnish Evangelical church was organized, services were held in homes and a building was constructed in 1912 by members, on land that was donated by the Pyykkonen family. It is still in use today and bears the name Community Lutheran.

Around 1920, the county started to widen the wagon trails for the present M-35, linking Palmer to Suomi and Gwinn.

Prior to this, the farmers made a road to Gwinn and kept it usable, so when the county took over they paid the farmers 15 cents a mile for that road. Cement bridges were constructed over the Warner and Schweitzer Creeks and the road was blacktopped for the first time in 1928.

In the 1910s, the Socialist Party was organized, but its duration was very short. they built a platform near Johnsons, called a “Lava” where dances were held.

People enjoyed the “lava” for dancing even if they did not belong to the party.If there wasn’t anyone to play the accordion, there was always someone with a mouth organ and that was good enough.

It was said to a church member, “the lava didn’t last but the church still stands.” There were “peddlers” that came to Suomi to sell their wares to farmers who eagerly awaited their visits. They were of different nationalities but knew enough finnish to get along.

Mr.Kessler was Russian, he had items to sell but he was interested in cowhides. He became known as Lehmapakka, (cowskin) and Mr. Wolfe, a Jewish man, sold various items and clothing. “Musta Mutti” (black Matt) was Finnish and his specialty was bleach. These peddlers would stay overnight and they were like a traveling newspaper.

In the late 1930s, the George Miljour Sr. family moved here from Perkins and were probably the first non-Finnish family in Suomi.

In 1930, the residents started a petition to run electric lines to Suomi. In 1935 the electricity was installed. The rate was $2.00 for four rooms and 40 cents extra for each additional room. Telephones were installed in 1949 and street lights in 1964. One might even say Suomi had outdoor movies. In the late ’40s and early ’50s the Kainulainen brothers would show movies on Johnson’s barn wall.

The sign in the store window read, “movie tonight.” in 1959 the township provided equipment for a playground that was installed on property donated by Swante Moilanen.

The Richmond Township Community Club was built in 1960 and is used for many social events.

There have been a few businesses in the area. John and Sanna Larson operated a gas station/grocery store from 1941 to 1960. Fritz and Helen Miljour owned Miljour Marine from 1958-1965, selling boats and motors and Fritz repaired boat motors.

Sulo Harju Sr. and Evert Koskinen Jr. were “logger,” they cut and sold wood.

Mrs. Koskinen had a chiropractic office in her home. Theresa Barabe was a milliner, she designed and made fancy hats for women and girls.She sold them to beauty salons and “upper class” clothing stores and out of her home for special clients.

In 1955, Joseph Barabe opened the State Farm Insurance office and moved it to Negaunee in 1960. Robert Barabe had an upholstery business from 1974 until his death in 2013.

James Barabe had a building and remodeling business. At present three residents are in business, Teresa Mauldin, is marketing her “RED’Z BBQ SAUCE and Rosie Pietila is marketing her relish, Rozie’s Relsa.

Their products are sold in local grocery stores. Doug Barabe has an upholstery shop.