The Finnish settlers found an area which was still wooded and had historically escaped the many grass fires which blanketed the great plains.

The slash and burn in Sweden was prohibited in the middle of 17th century and no new Finnish settler moved to the area.

Belden was founded in 1904 by Finnish settlers when the area was still part of Ward County.

Finnish settlers arrived starting in the 1890s, and carved dozens of small farms out of the forests.

A group of Finnish settlers founded the village in 1901 after rowing north from Nanaimo.

Kaleva was founded in 1900, and became a refuge for Finnish settlers.

At the same time, large parts of the inland Ostrobothnia were colonized by Finnish settlers from Savonia.

Within a few decades the Sami population was assimilated or ousted by the Finnish settlers.

However, Sami people increasingly mixed with Finnish and Scandinavian settlers, losing their culture and language.

Finn Slough was founded by Finnish settlers who came to Richmond in the 1880s.