the same way, and the communists who had been ignored prepared their own publication to commemorate the Delaware event.

The Delaware Tercentenary resulted in the production of several studies and papers, and the arrival of the first Finns in America was the center of interest for weeks on end in newspapers and among the Finns in general. Interest in history was revived, and several individuals proposed that a study of early Finnish settlement in America be made and a history of it be published. Others considered the undertaking too demanding, and Emil Hurja, for example, suggested that while striving for that goal it would be worthwhile for the various sections of America to produce their regional histories, on the basis of which a unified work could later be projected, prepared by some objective outside historian. The Finnish-American Historical Society once again, began to advise on the collection of source material and on the preservation of such materials in the archives of the Suomi Opisto.

The Minnesota Finnish-American Historical Society: The fact that Finns had already engaged in historical research, and even the fact that there existed a large and important Minnesota Historical Society, established in 1849, two months after Minnesota had become a territory, did not lead directly to the establishment of the Minnesota Finnish-American Historical Society. Rather, organized activity in this field within the state began in an entirely unpredictable way, with the arrival of a well-known Finnish painter, Juho Rissanen, to the area. The Finnish war and health reasons had led to his moving to America and to residence in Florida, and in the summer of 1943 he came to northern Minnesota on vacation. It was shortly after his arrival in this Finnish area that it was proposed (Alex Kyyhkynen had suggested it to a newspaper friend, Adolph Lundquist, who published the suggestion) that Rissanen be commissioned to paint a big picture depicting the Finnish pioneers of Minnesota, and that this painting be presented to the state for display in some state building. When the idea spread, the Governor, Edward J. Thye, was asked informally if such a painting would be accepted as a gift, and at a meeting with the Governor it was learned that the Minnesota Historical Society would welcome such a painting.

The group which conferred with the Governor considered the moment opportune to proceed and to call into being a Finnish historical society. In the meeting which was then held, Alex Kyyhkynen was elected president and Adolph Lundquist secretary. The vice-president of this provisional board became J. P. Raattama,

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