ODDS’N’SODS — The Finnish-ed product

After the First World War, thousands of Finns migrated to North America, most of whom settled in the northern U.S. and Canada. The lakes and forests of northern Ontario reminded them of their homeland, and hundreds settled in the region’s burgeoning mining and lumbering towns.

Timmins, Ont., became one town with a large Finnish population, and the Barber’s Bay and Finn Bay areas, 30 miles to the east, soon became dotted with their summer cabins. Each retreat included a boat house, dock and sauna.

(Saunas were always a priority with the Finns.)

Del Baker, my brother-in-law, purchased a cabin, complete with sauna, at Barber’s Bay a few years ago, and now he and his wife, both of whom are retired, spend their summers there.

The Bakers’ neighbor, a second-generation Finn, had inherited a log cabin that was in poor condition. This fellow had been a stope miner in Timmins, but he quit his job, moved to Toronto and purchased a construction company.

One summer’s day, the Finn returned with a construction crew and equipment and informed Del that he intended to replace the log cabin with a prefabricated house.

The crew “partied” most of the night and, at 5 a.m., the Finn banged on Del’s door in search of a ladder and wire cutters. The crew, using cables and a front-end loader, moved the cabin a only a few feet before someone noticed that the power lines were still connected to it.

Once the wires were snipped (with Del’s cutters), the cabin was dragged to a clear area, doused with gasoline and set afire. After a few minutes, an irate fire marshal arrived and demanded to see the fire permit. He, too, was Finnish, and after Del plied him with a few bloody marys, the marshal made out a pre-dated permit.

The crew constructed footings and, the next day, two trailers carrying the pieces of the house arrived. By mid-week, an attractive prefab house was in place.

The construction crew returned to Toronto once the utilities were connected and, soon, the fellow’s wife and children arrived. His wife quickly arranged for furniture and curtains, while a landscaper put in shrubs and annual flowers.

Neighbors came by foot, car and boat to see this beautiful home. One of its novel features was an electric heating system: Simply by dialing the phone, the owners could activate the heat from Toronto, before coming up for snowmobiling or ice-fishing.

— A.E. Alpine, a frequent contributor to this column, resides in Boyertown, Pa.