then of 189 persons. Finns were present certainly as early as 1894, either in McKinley or its adjacent farming areas. A greater influx was halted by the cessation of mining activities in the area. However, in speaking of the Finns of this community, it should be mentioned that in the year 1900 they began a temperance society of their own, named Helmi.

The most significant center of the township became Biwabik. Although there were no roads at all to the place in 1890, the earliest explorers in the region used to cross directly north of Biwabik on their way from Mesaba to Mt. Iron. They often paused to rest at Biwabik, for the round-trip between the two points took a minimum of three days. When ore was first discovered at Biwabik itself, a settlement developed there within a few weeks. In short order there were 13 `hotels' available. The demand for building supplies exceeded the available, with more than a hundred builders waiting their turn to be served. "The cost of supplies and services rose fantastically, until a man with a team of horses could earn up to $15 a day," wrote Frank S. Colvin in the history of St. Louis County. In September 1892 there were already 287 inhabitants, and at that time a local government was established. At the turn of the century the population was already 1,299 and was still growing steadily. This rapid development was due to the presence of rich iron lodes, which the following chart indicates:

The first Finns came to Biwabik as soon as the mines were opened. By 1895 there were already so many of them on the scene that they were able to start a church and a temperance society.
The Raittiuskansan Kalenteri of 1903 stated that Biwabik's Finnish temperance society, the Ilmiö (Phenomenon), was established in October 1892, with 10 persons active in its founding
This start, however, proved to be abortive, and it was not until two years later that activity was begun on a more permanent basis. After that, with a growth in membership, the society got a hall of its own, with membership continuing to grow, reaching to more than 100 members by the year 1900. Later, when a socialist chapter was started, the temperance society was left in

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