Themes on Finnish settlement in the Thunder Bay area

Abstract

This migration has contributed to the Finnish population being found in many countries, including Canada. It is this Finnish-Canadian population that is of interest here. Growing up in the Thunder Bay area, within the Finn culture, created an atmosphere of questions that needed to be researched and answered. Why did the family end up in Thunder Bay? Why did Finn families before them end up here? Why did Finns come to Canada? These questions burned in the back of the mind for years before finally emerging onto paper, in deciding to research the Finns in the Thunder Bay region, two methodologies were implemented. The first method utilized was the laborious task of researching through the vast materials offered in the archives and libraries. Once the background information was organized, the way was set for dealing with the questionnaires and interviews. By contemplating the questions that needed to be answered, the questionnaires and interviews offered the researcher an opportunity to see the information gathered almost on a first-hand basis.