Finnish and Swedish Immigration to Hockinson

August 14, 2021

Historic logging scene used in Hockinson Finnish immigration records

Finnish, Swedish and Swedish-Finnish settlers played a major role in the early development of Hockinson, Washington. Local historical records connect Scandinavian families to the Eureka settlement era, farming, logging, schools, churches and later cultural institutions.

Scandinavian Hockinson history at a glance

Early settlement account: about 1862
Groups documented: Finns, Swedes and Swedish-speaking Finns
Major activities: farming, logging, trades, schools and churches
Later cultural institution: United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters

Early Finnish and Swedish settlement

A local historical account says the settlement then called Eureka was settled about 1862 by Swedish-Finno sailors. It describes early residents as Finns from the mainland and Swedish-speaking Finns from the Åland Islands. Those families entered a heavily forested landscape where farming often followed logging and years of land clearing. Read more about the Eureka settlement era.

Families, farms and community institutions

Scandinavian influence appears throughout Hockinson's surviving records: pioneer-family histories, schools, churches, stores, farming, logging and social organizations. Some accounts describe immigrants arriving with little or no English, while other records preserve Swedish-language newspapers and Finnish cultural traditions. The article The Finnish Families Who Built Hockinson focuses on individual family stories.

The Finnish Kaleva Hall and community culture

The Finnish presence later became especially visible through the United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters. The local chapter was organized in 1924, and the hall that opened in the early 1930s supported dances, choir, band, drill-team activities and other gatherings. Learn more about the Finnish Kaleva Hall and Hockinson's Finnish community band.

Elim Lutheran Church

Elim Lutheran Church provides another link to the area's Scandinavian heritage, appearing repeatedly in church histories, family records and cemetery references. See Elim Lutheran Church and Hockinson's Scandinavian Heritage.

Historical sources

Historic Hockinson settlement record describing Finnish and Swedish-Finnish settlement about 1862
“Finnish lodge a landmark in Hockinson for 50 years,” Bob Beck, The Columbian
“Finns to America,” historic newspaper clipping
“Elim Lutheran Church of Hockinson,” historical church record