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–Not graded
History · Finland

Finland’s post office opened in 1915, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on.

1915first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Finland began

When was Finland founded?

1915

The Finland post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 215111 years
Founding year: the first Finland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Finland’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Finland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Finland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Finland’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Finland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Finland.

Read it all →

A post office called Finland has been in operation since 1915, and a cooperative general store was established in 1913, which is Minnesota's longest continuously operated store. The name of the town comes from the fact that a large portion of the early settlers were Finns. The 1931 book Finlandssvenskarna i Amerika ('The Finland Swedes in America') describes the town's founding: "Two Finns, a Lindström and a Pelto, went out to the forest 40 miles north of Two Harbors a few years ago. They set about clearing forest and breaking ground. Later, a railroad was built through the new community and the place was named Finland."

The visitor center is the former home of forest ranger and longtime Finland resident O. M. Eckbeck, who built it in 1927.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Finland on the map, 1954 to 1976

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Finland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Finland on the 1954 USGS mapFinland on the 1976 USGS map1954Silver Bay sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Finland.

Famous people

Famous people close to Finland

Nobody well known was born in Finland itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
P
Philip BerriganAmerican priest and anti-war activist · b. 1923
J
Johnny WesternAmerican singer · b. 1934
Leroy GoldsworthyAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1908
B
Bill SteinNational Football League player · b. 1899
E
Eileen Rose BusbyAmerican historian and writer · b. 1922
Zack FitzgeraldAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1985
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Beaver Bay Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCrystal Bay TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Finland’s history

What year was Finland founded?

The Finland post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.