|  There were early Finnish immigrations to Saskatchewan. New Finland was a Finnish settlement in Qu'Appelle Valley, Whitewood area, South of Churchbridge, north of Wapella or in the Yorkton Gen Web Region In the early 1800's Finland was a part of the Russian Empire and had Finnish Nationalism. A change of 1870 placed Finland under Swedish Rule namely Swedish feudal land barons at this time, and army training became mandatory at 19 years. In 1889 Finnish peasantry and tenants left from Kauhava, Finland, some went to England then to the U.S.A. (Crystal Falls, Ironwood, Ishpeming) Michigan) migrating on to Canada. The 'Old Cemetery' is SW 1/4 - S36- T17 - R1- W2. The 'New Cemetery' is NW 1/4 S24 T17 R1 W2.
American copper, iron and coal mines drew Finnish migration to the Western Great Lakes Region. Following the 1907 miners strike in Minnesota, USA, Finnish settlers migrated to Saskatchewan. In 1913 there were over 100 farms and 500 people settled at "Paski Box" near Dunblane, Sk Regina Gen Web Region. This settlement was also known as the "Lake Coteau Finnish Socialist Society", "East Country", "Butcher's Hall" or "White" Finns.
The "Socialisti", "Red Devils/ Ghosts", "West Country", or the "Coteau Hills Finnish Socialist Society" settled around 1923 in the Steeldale district of Sk.
The Coteau area is at an elbow in the South Saskatchewan River between Moose Jaw and Saskatoon: Regina Gen Web Region
The earlier "New Finland" society of Southeast Saskatchewan was an agricultural settlement who emigrated from Finland prior to the establishment of political Finnish Socialism. The later Coteau setlements emigrated from Michigan and Minnesota and left Finland after the Social Democratic Party was strong in Finland. The culture of these two Finnish settlements in Saskatchewan was very distinct one from the other.
In 1930, 250 Finnish Canadians left the Coteau settlements with "Karelian Fever". This was a plan for a new "Red Finland" with collective farming, and left the Saskatchewan Depression and 'Dirty Thirties' behine. The migration route was from the Coteau Hills, Sk --> Halifax --> Gottenberg, Sweden --> Petrozavodsk, Karelia. Many Finnish Canadians who migrated to Karelia, returned to Canada in 1935. Source | Bibliography | Ethnic origins and History | Top | Resources | Sask Gen Web |
