Table of Contents

A History of Finnish Businesses in the Thunder Bay Area

BUSINESSES

Aarnio’s Restaurant 10
Aaro’s Home Store 12
Adanac Hotel 12
Aho Jewellers 13
Aino’s Beauty Parlour 13
Airi’s Beauty Salon 13
Algoma Steam Bath 13
Anja’s Beauty Salon 14
Anna’s Café 14
A-One Filter & Supply 14
Attridge & Seppä 15
Banning Corner Store 15
Bay Food Bar 15
Bay Meats 15
Bay Street Meat Market 18
Bay Taxi 19
Beck Construction 20
Beck’s Electrical Service 20
Bloom’s Ladies Wear 20
Canadan Sanomat 21
Canadan Uutiset 21
Co-Op Store and International Co-Operative Trading Company 31
Coronet Restaurant (Ojala Restaurant) 33
Country Good Meats & Deli 34
Corporate Graphics Northwest 34
Current River Bakery 35
Dan’s Portrait Studio 35
Davidson Boarding House 35
Dewe Ave Store 36
Don-Wayne Shoes 36
East End Sauna 36
Economy Grocery (see Bay Meats) 36
Ed’s Pawn Shop 36
Ellen’s Ladies Wear 36
Eno’s Electrical Service 37
Erickson Timber 37
Ertolahti Hairdressers 37
Farmers Mercantile 37
Finnish Book Store 38
Finnish Co-Operative Store Company Sampo 39
Finn Meats & European Meats 41
Finnport 42
Finnish Publishing Company 43
Finnish Steam Bath 50
Finnish Tailoring Co 50
Finntastic 51
Freisting’s Garage 51
Great Lakes Lumber and Shipping 51
Harri Bakery 51
Highway Garage 52
Hill Confectionary 52
Hill, SJ and Sons Garage 52
Hillport Taxi 53
Hoito Restaurant 53
Home Bakery 60
Hulkko Boarding House 60
Ikola, A J Realtor & Insurer 61
Imatra Café 61
Ines Beauty Salon 62
International Co-Op Store 62
Jacobson & Luoma Clothing 62
Jauhiainen & Sahl Photographers 63
Jet Welding 63
Johnson’s Grocery 65
Kareno’s (Koiranen’s) Bay Jewellers 68
Kajander’s Grocery Store 68
Käki’s Garage 68
Kaleva Drug Store (Nyman’s Drug Store) 68
Kallio Contracting 69
Kangas Bakery 69
Kangas, Raymond & Riverlake Timber 69
History of Logging in the Thunder Bay area 74
Kangas Sauna 79
Karila’s Store 83
Kauppi Timber 85
Keskus Kahvila (Central Café) 85
Kid’s Wear 85
Kiiskilä’s BA Service Station 89
Kivelä Bakery 90
Klamie General Store 91
Koski’s Store 91
Kosola Clothing 91
Kotanen Bros Garage 92
Krockbeck (Krokbeck) Sauna 93
Kulma Kahvila (Corner Café) 94
Kuusisto Grocery 96
Kyrö-Hellberg Company Ltd 96
Kyyny Jewellers 97
Lakehead Travel 97
Laine’s Grocery 100
Lakehead Concrete 100
Lankinen Bros Contracting 100
Langen’s Glass Service 100
Langila Hardware 100
Lasvel Shoes 101
Laukka’s “Poortitalo” (Boarding House) 101
Lauri’s Independent Hardware and Lauri’s Men’s Wear 102
Lehto, Adolf, Pool Room 103
Lehto Printers 103
Lempiala Sand and Gravel 104
Leppänen’s Service (and Grocery) 104
Luhtala’s Dairy 106
Maija Sarkka Aesthetics 106
Main Line Café 107
Mäki Diesel Repair 107
Mäki’s Music Shop 107
Mäki’s Steam Bath 107
Mäki’s Confectionary 107
Mäki, John Restaurant 108
Mämmi, John Pool Room 108
Matson’s Hardware 108
Memorial Shell Service 108
Midwest Auto Supply 109
Mokomon Store 109
Murtomäki’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop 109
Narvanen Steam Bath 110
Nelson-Kyrö Limited 110
Nelson, YW Timber 110
Norway House 111
Oikonen’s Taxi 113
Oja Clothing 113
Oja’s Taxi (later Kärkkäinen Taxi) 114
Ostola Dairy Company 114
Otso Grill 114
Paajanen Café 114
Paananen Clothing 115
Parkkari Trucking (see Misc) 115
People’s Co-Op Store 115
People’s Shell Service 116
Peterson Electric 118
Pigeon Timber Company 121
Port Arthur Plasterers 125
Pyhtilä Sand and Gravel (see Misc) 125
Rankka Restaurant 126
Rantanen, A J Blacksmith Shop 126
Ranta’s Sauna 126
Rautiainen Grocery 126
Rex Taxi 126
Rinne Bros Auto Service 126
Rissanen’s Grocery 128
Rosedale Auto Service 128
Saasto’s Men’s Wear 129
Sahl Clothing (Up-To-Date Tailors) 129
Salonen’s Café 129
Salonen’s Garage 129
Sammalisto Garage 130
Saxberg’s Garage 130
Scandinavian Deli 131
Scandinavian Home Café 131
Seaway Café 131
Selkämaa Restaurant 131
Seppälä’s Grocery Store 131
Setälä Garage 132
Sheare Clothing 132
Shuniah Forest Products Limited 132
Sillman Company Ltd 133
Siren’s Garage 134
Sirkka’s Dressmaking 134
Smallwoods Store 134
Star Television Co 134
Stenbäck’s Meat Market 134
Sulin’s Grocery 134
Suomalainen Apteekki 134
Superior Motors 134
Superior Welding 135
Swanson’s Clock Repair 135
Tarmola Sauna 135
The Fish Shop 136
Thunder Bay Co-Op Dairy 138
Thunder Bay Garage 139
Thunder Bay Tannery 139
Thunder Bay Co-Op Store 140
Thunder Bay Store 140
Toppi’s Sauna 140
Tuominen’s Garage 141
Tuominen’s Grocery Store 141
Työkansa (The Working Class) 141
Vigor (Vigour) Co-Op Restaurant 141
Viita’s Foodland 141
Violet Flower Shop 142
Vuori, Milja Beauty Salon 142
Wainio’s Better Value Grocery Store 143
Wallenius Bros Contracting 144
Wanson Lumber 144
Watch Service 147
West End TV 147
Widenoja Timber and Construction 147
Wilen Custom Tailor 148
Windsor Hotel 148
Ylätalo’s Six Mile Service 151

MAPS 152

Settlers in Oliver Township 152
Settlers in Lappe Township 153
Map of Intola 154
1909 Marriage Certificate 155
1914 Christening Certificate 156

MISCELLANEOUS 157

Finnish Truckers, Wood Contractors, Sawmills, Farmers 157
Taxi Owner/Operators 218
Mink Farmers 218
Post Offices and Drivers 219
Finnish Shoe Makers and Repair Shops 221
Finnish Owner/Operators with their own gravel pits 223
Finnish School Bus Owner/Operators 224
Trappers 225
Canadian Veterans Of Finnish Heritage 228
Funeral of Moses Hahl 230