earliest Colonial period, and that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was of Finnish descent. Moving on to the moment at hand, and projecting himself into the future, Mr. Kyyhkynen declared that "it is now our responsibility to see to it that the role played in Minnesota by Finnish pioneers and builders will be preserved forever in the pages of American history. It is a responsibility which America expects us to fulfill; it is a responsibility which the people of Finland also expect us to fulfill . . . But we ought not to limit ourselves only to the preparation of the history of the Finns in Minnesota - has not the time come to extend our historical mission to all parts of the country? The Finns of Minnesota have taken significant steps on their own initiative and in the right direction. Now a way must be found to lead to joint efforts to prepare the history of the Finns throughout these United States. The possibilities for carrying out such an undertaking still exist, but it must be done promptly. If this occasion which we are commemorating, if this focusing of attention on the Finnish pioneers and builders of Minnesota could advance us in carrying out that task, an inestimable service to America and its history would result, and we would be on the right path of carrying out our responsibilities and in honoring the memory of our pioneer forefathers in proper and fitting fashion."

The History o f the Finns in Minnesota is Written : The hope expressed at the Minnesota Centennial by the MFAHS that the occasion would mark the beginning of an organized undertaking to sponsor the preparation of a history of the Finns in the state moved gradually toward realization.

Early in 1953, the MFAHS established a separate Historical Foundation, which was to commence with the preparation of the history as soon as a sum of $6,000 had been raised. By October of that year the sum was on hand, and the Foundation engaged Eero A. Pulli, a former editor of the Suomen Sosiaali-demokraatti, to act as executive secretary and to begin collection of material, organization of that material, and to commence the actual task of writing. To assist him in the collection of material, to work on the outline of the projected book, to advise on typography, etc., a small committe was appointed : Alex Kyyhkynen, as chairman, and serving with him, Yrjö Halonen, Fred Hendrickson, Lauri Lemberg and A. A. Parviainen. By the time the MFAHS held its annual meeting in January 1954, the work had progressed to the point where a committee was elected, to serve for three years, to further the project: Alex Kyyhkynen, chairman, Fabian

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