John and Wilhelmina (Leskela) Kopsi of Pyhajarvi, Finland, brought their growing family across the Atlantic to New York and then Calumet in 1902. Many Finnish people were leaving their country at the time, a trend which can be credited to political turmoil and enforced military conscription.
Co-op Hall in Bruce Crossing, late October 2015.
Image Courtesy of Henry Peters.
John worked as a laborer for the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company for more than decade before the family was able to leave Calumet for their newly purchased land near Bruce's Crossing. There, he was able to farm his own recently logged land. John and Wilhelmina's family grew to include nine children, including Sakris Leskela, Wilhelmina's first-born. The family attended social functions at the Co-Op Hall in Bruce's Crossing and services at the Apostolic Lutheran Church. Their is an immigrant story that would be familiar to many Copper Country families.
