The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

A grant for $4,000 was presented to the Appelo Archives Center (AAC) in Naselle by the Finlandia Foundation National's Treasurer, Dirk Schulbach. The presentation was made at the Finnish Midsummer Tea held at the Center on June 12. Six visitors from Oregon came to the presentation. L-r are Anita Raistakka, Library Volunteer, Dirk Schulbach, Steve Ullako, AAC President, and Annika Kay, AAC director. Linda Elliott, Anneli Raistakka, Kelly Shumar, and Don Raistakka represent the AAC Board and volunteers. The grant was given in support of an oral histories project. Carlton Appelo, Appelo Archives founder, spent years interviewing regional residents of Finnish descent. The collection is invaluable for those who want to hear their relatives personally speaking of their family history and immigrant story. Currently, the interviews are on cassettes which will deteriorate over time. This project will move them to a permanent digital format. The center is open three days a week offering public access to geological history, oral history and a Finnish library that continually increases with book donations coming from all over the region, almost all written in the Finnish language. There is no charge to visit, but donations are always welcome. For more information, contact Annika Kay, Director, at (360) 484-7103 or email: info@appeloarchives.org. Photo by Karen Bertroch.