Finnish History in Sault Ste. Marie

The Sault Ste. Marie Museum is undertaking a project to collect artifacts and archives pertaining to the vibrant Finnish community in Sault Ste. Marie. These donated objects will help us supplement and contextualize the current Sault Ste. Marie Finnish Historical Society Collection, which is now housed at the Museum.

​We aim to create a working database for the community of local Finnish businesses, genealogical information, immigration records and information on the many Finnish social groups that have existed over the years.  These include, but are not limited to, athletic clubs, church congregations,  theatre troupes, temperance societies and political groups. 

The Sault Ste. Marie Museum has been hosting yearly events for Ontario Culture Days to share and celebrate Finnish history and Culture. These events include Kahvitauko/Kaffepaus, exhibits on various aspects of Finnish history in the Sault, and a recent partnership with the Swedish-Finnish Historical Society for a genealogy workshop at the Museum. 

We are asking the community to share and/or donate historical records (census data, immigration records etc.), photographs, video footage, and any other information to assist us in capturing the history of the Finnish community. If you do not wish to donate the original documents or photos, the Sault Museum is happy to scan and make copies of the original artifacts to preserve them for our collection, while allowing you to retain the originals.

If you do not have physical artifacts, we are also collecting oral histories. If you wish to share your memories of growing up Finnish in Sault Ste. Marie, we want to hear those memories and preserve them for future generations!

Interested in helping the Museum with this project? Reach out!