Finnish Business and Cooperative Activity: There have always been a large number of Finns employed in the mines in the Eveleth region. Some worked there all their lives, like Jacob Hill, for example, who was employed for 48 years by the Oliver Mining Company. To serve these numerous Finns, Finnish business enterprises appeared, and among the first once more were the boarding houses, which were profitable ventures, operated by J. Nummi, Emanuel Niemistö, Matti Kantola, Frank Leskinen, Juho Pakka, William Talkkari, J. Kenttä and J. Lammi. In old Eveleth, even before the city moved, there had been a few Finnish saunas where, according to Liisa Ranta-aho's account, one could bathe for 15c. Later, Finnish saunas were operated by John Kantoniemi and J. H. Kotala, followed by Tuomas Majala, whose more up-to-date premises were popular for decades.

In a special Eveleth issue, the Päivälehti estimated that Finnish-owned property in Eveleth was considerable, with about 175 Finns owning their own homes, whose combined value was well over $500,000. The majority of these property owners were miners, but businessmen and artisans also appeared among their ranks. Peter Peterson (Huhta) was among the first, beginning his business career in Eveleth in 1895. In 1904 followed a considerable enterprise when the brothers Jacob and John Saari started a grocery store. Jacob later became a timberman, and both brothers were involved in extensive real estate and farming enterprises. They owned considerable acreage in St. Louis County and in adjoining counties, as well as in Oregon. Indeed, they gradually gave up control of their store, which then became the Damberg Brothers enterprise. At about the same time as the Saari brothers, K. Penttilä and J. Nelson had also begun a grocery store, but when Nelson joined the Ketola & Company during World War I, John Mattson became Penttilä's partner. It was at this time that Ivar Niemi also began his store, which he later gave up to devote himself to wholesaling. Other shopkeepers have included Walter A. Goms, who kept a butcher shop during the 1920s with Walter Newman, and Henry Taipale, who had a dry goods store from 1919 to 1942.

Cooperative activity in Eveleth was born during the World War I period. It began with a temporary board of officers whose first task was to collect capital for the enterprise, and the campaign was brought to the attention of the public in an announcement in the Päivälehti, 16 October 1917, inviting interested persons to a meeting to be held at the Urania hall, at which everyone could express his opinions about the projected venture: "It is considered

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