preacher who had just arrived from Finland, one John Rankila. The latter effected the affiliation of the Spartans with the National Church, got a church built, and organized the finances of the congregations, all in the space of two years. The later history of this church is part of the history of the church in Gilbert. Meanwhile, there was also a group of Methodists, begun by M. Lehtonen in 1905, and later a Suomi Synod church to which about 100 persons belonged.

It was in Sparta, also, that the very first chapter of the Kaleva Order in Minnesota was established, in the spring of 1901. Behind this development was John Kenttä, who came to Sparta in late 1900 from Butte, Montana, where he had been a Kaleva Knight. He came to get a job in the Sparta mine, but his real purpose is said to have been to bring the Kaleva organization to Minnesota, and particularly to the Mesabe area. At the same time Jacob Mäki came to nearby Eveleth from Belt, Montana, with the same purpose. It took these men until early in 1901 to find in these two Finnish centers a dozen men who, according to Kykyri, "were willing to lend their names and hand over $25 each to become members of a fraternal organization about which they knew nothing but about which they had heard frightening reports." However, on 4 February the dozen were on hand - 10 from Sparta and 2 from Eveleth - and prepared to proceed. They were Karl H. Karkkinen, Henry Kors, Konstant Kykyri, Isaac A. Lahti, Hannes Laine, Oscar R. Olson, Matti Pentti, August Perry, John Rahja, Antti Simi, Herman Taittonen and Matti Tomsi-Kokko. Since Eveleth and Sparta lay but four miles apart, it was decided to locate the order in Sparta, where the majority lived. The rites establishing the chapter were not held until six weeks later, at 6 o'clock one morning, since most of the men had to be at their jobs at 7. Immediately after these rites, John Kenttä boarded a train to return to Butte.

New members were added, and activity increased to the point where nearby communities also became interested in the Kaleva Order. However, the Sparta chapter itself never gained more than 50 members, and in 1903 that chapter was transferred to Eveleth. The Spartans continued to go there for Saturday evening meetings, giving some show of determination, since it was possible to get a ride to Eveleth but impossible to get back except on foot. In time the Spartans wearied of this trek, and when a suitable hall was found in Sparta the chapter was moved back to where it had started, and the men of Eveleth were left to start a chapter on their own.

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