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

The Appelo Archives is pleased to offer a new book, Finns of the Grays River Area. Written by Merle Reinikka, the book was published by the Finnish American Historical Society of the West in Portland. It lists individual families of the Grays River, Seal River, Crooked Creek, Eden Valley, and Rosburg areas with their genealogical history. It also provides photos and history on the schools, organizations, businesses, dairy farms, logging, fishing, and community activities.

When asked for a background on his work, Reinnika stated: “Don Raistakka, a friend who was born and raised in the Grays River area, approached me over three years ago to consider writing ‘Finns of the Grays River Area.’ Don had developed an interest in the history of Finnish settlement in the region at an early age, inspired by his mother's collection of notes, news clippings and photos, which he inherited. This was the fourth such publication I've done under the auspices of the Finnish-American Historical Society of the West (who have published 30 similar works on the Finnish presence in western North America). My others were ‘Finnish Settlers of Long Valley, Idaho,’ ‘Ilwaco's Early Finns,’ and ‘Deep River and Its Finns.’

“There were two aspects that drew me into the research on the Finns of the Grays River area: (1) -- As an ethnic community, it seemed to me that little notice or recognition had been given it, historically. (2) -- I enjoyed doing the research and making the personal contacts that resulted in the final story---one which I feel completes the telling of early Finnish settlement in Pacific and Wahkiakum counties. The Finns were about the last ethnic group to settle in Wahkiakum County. One can only admire and respect the determination and seemingly indomitable spirit it took for them to succeed in hacking out homesteads and farms in the available roadless wilderness remaining to them in the late 1800s and early 1900s.”

Merle Reinikka will be available to sign his new book on Saturday, April 12 at the Appelo Archives Center in Naselle, at 1056 State Route 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Books are currently for sale at the Archives Center for $10.

For more information, contact Samantha Hollo at the Archives Center at (360) 484-7103.