Cromwell Sami Settlement
by Marlene Wisuri

Carlton County, Minnesota is situated just south of Duluth and St. Louis County, with Wisconsin forming its eastern border. Its history is closely tied to its rivers with the St. Louis river connecting the Great Lakes, via lesser rivers and portages, to two great river systems to the west - the Mississippi River system and the Rainey River, and the waterways that lead to the Hudson Bay. The St. Louis was important to the Indians of the area, first to the Lakota (Sioux) and later the Chippewa or Ojibwe (Anishinabe). After the late seventeenth century, fur traders plied the area, first for France and then for the English. But with the opening of the country by the railroads after 1870, the county became an area increasingly attractive to European immigrants. The largest immigration groups to settle in Carlton County after the 1880s were the Swedes, Norwegians and Finns. By 1930, 11.1% of the county population had immigrated from Finland.

The townships of Red Clover and Eagle are situated on either side of the little town of Cromwell. The two townships and Cromwell had a combined population of 642 people in 1910. Of these 642 people the majority had come from Sweden, Norway and Finland with an as yet unknown number of Sami among them.

In an attempt to learn more about the Sami presence in Carlton County, I met with Dorothy Saari and her husband Howard to talk about her Sami ancestry and other Cromwell area Sami. Dorothy first heard the term "Sami" when she and Howard and two of their daughters attended a workshop on Sami history and heritage sponsored by the Carlton County Historical Society and taught by Báiki editor, Faith Fjeld at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in 1993. Dorothy had often heard her father, Edward (Edvard) Huhta refer to himself as "just a Laplander" or as a "dumb Laplander" without any pride in his family tradition. Edvard was born in Ylitomio, Finland on February 2, 1882 and emigrated to the united states in 1907. He exhibited the Sami physical characteristics of short stature (5' 4 ½") with black hair and dark eyes. Dorothy recounts that he told of reindeer herding in the old country and a nomadic lifestyle that included living in a tent and even using a turned-over sleigh for shelter in winter. He spoke about how they utilized every part of the reindeer for shoes, clothes and food.

Edvard married Saima Markkula in 1917 and they homesteaded at a place near Cromwell that they called "Impivaara" where they started what would be a family of several children. Edvard could foretell weather from the stars and moon and anthills. He knew that the "best time to catch brook trout was when the leaves on the hazel brush were the size of a mouse's ears."

Dorothy and Howard told of a friend of her father's, Arvid Afraimson, who had also been a reindeer herder in the old country and demonstrated his skill with a lariat at a meeting of men at the eagle lake school. He boasted that he "could rope anything that was running." the men were ducking and running all over. Arvid would name a guy and say, "I’m going to get you next." with unfailing accuracy he would land a rope around the singled-out man. Arvid was born in Karesuando, Sweden on November 5, 1881, and came to America in 1905 under the name of Arvid Jazra. He farmed in the Cromwell area and later moved to Cloquet, Minnesota, where he worked in a sawmill.

Another Sami family that settled in the Cromwell area were the Peuras. Kreeta Peura Johnson and her brothers Augusti and Jako were born in Alkuula (Alakyla), Finland. Kreeta ("Maggie" by the time of the 1920 census) Peura was born in 1866 and came to superior, Wisconsin in 1887. She homesteaded in the Cromwell area in 1892 and married Albert Johnson (Heitola) in 1895. She was said to have had special powers to foretell the future. August came to the U.S. in 1891 followed by Jake a year later. They were Sami in statute - 5'4" and 5'5" respectively. Jake had at least three children; his brother and sister were apparently childless.

In his book "brief history of the pioneers of the Cromwell, Minnesota area," Bennett a. beck writes of another reindeer herder, Alex Wiherela (Wihrela) who came to America in 1890. "His father was a reindeer ranger (or farmer) so Alex became a reindeer ranger with his father and later became a ranger himself, as was the custom." he first farmed and later moved into Cromwell and owned a grocery and meat market. His son who was known as sandy wheeler converted the business into a tavern, pool hall, and bowling alley where he later sold magazines and newspapers as well. Alex was listed as a witness in Edvard Huhta's naturalization papers, attesting to the closeness of the community.

Another Cromwell resident, Ebba Hedin, has Sami ancestors in her mother's family. Her grandmother, Maria Justavaa Kivela, traveled from Norway to Finland with her family during a time of famine. Her father was a preacher and Maria spoke both Norwegian and Finnish. Ebba's mother's name was Aliina Kivels Liikanen. The family came to this country from Kayla and Palopera, Finland, near the eastern border and north of Kuusamo. A relative was Levi Kivela, a well-known reindeer herder who died quite recently in Finland.

Undoubtedly, there are many other Carlton County families that are of Sami ancestry. In many communities it has been known that certain families were "Laplanders," but it is a topic that hasn't been talked about much and certainly hasn't been explored in any depth. If readers have any additional information, Árran would be interested in learning more about the Carlton County connections.

Marlene Wisuri is the director of the Carlton County Historical Society and has Sami ancestry through her grandmother's family from the Rovaniemi and Sodankylä areas of Finland.  Marlene is the Siidaeamit  (leader) for the Siida, and may be reached at: