The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-16
COLONY TO HAVE
AN ISLAND HOME
Firms WILL DEVELOP LARGE
ISLE OF DRUMMoND.
Anxious to Leaye Mining for Agricul-
ture and Fisheries-Miss Wall, a
Leader Of Her People in the West,
at the Head of the Enterprise-Her
Career in New World.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Hancock, Mich, May 16.--Drummond island,
large division of land at the entrance of the
channels leading from Lake Huron to Lake
Superior, Is to be the home of Finnish col
ony. A party retrospective settlers from Calu-
met, under the guidance of Miss Maggie Walz,
has returned from the island where several days
were spent on visit Of inspection.
The conditions were found satisfactory, and
as site for the colony a block of territory
lying on the south side Of the island and one
mile from the Lake Huron shore was selected.
The land is owned by the government, and al
ready several Calumet Firms have made home
stead entries. In every instance the men who
have filed heads Of families, and with
few exceptions all are at present engaged in
mining. Their purpose in locating on the island
is to engage in agriculture and fishing, the
selection of the lands being largely made with
reference to carrying out the latter plan.
The land is for the most part clay loan,
with black subsoil, and in places is heavily
timbered with giant hardwood trees" said Miss
Walz. There are a cement factory, maple
sugar factory, two schools and two churches,
sawmills and postoffices, and a great many other
conveniences that we did not expect to find in
such an out-of-the-way place. We have made
application for postoffice Of our own, and our
people will build houses and clear the land
the present summer" ~
Miss Walz' work in connection with the col
onization scheme is largely labor of love-
She is remunerated by neither the government
nor the settlers. She acts as adviser for the
party, and no action is taken except on her
uppToUdtIou. 1ue career Oh MISS " dlA - AZ
teresting During her first six years in the
United States she clerked in stores, acted as
| correspondent for Finnish papers and maya
zines an interpreter in the local courts.
| and the person most sought after by Firms out
| of work in trouble.
In 1887 che returned to Europe and brought
! back to this country fourteen Finnish girls for
whom she paid railroad and ocean passage, and
upon arrival here obtained situations for all of
| them. Desiring to acquire business education,
Miss Walz entered the Northern Indiana normal
| school in 1892 and completed two years
course, after which she assumed the duties of
! treasurer and manager Of the Suometar Printing
company at Calumet, publishing the suometar
\ the oldest Finnish paper in the United States.
Y That Miss Walz is thrifty is attested by the
| fact that she recently built $4,000 bust
! ness block at Calumet and holds other realty
| in the copper country. Her business instinc
has taken her in almost every channel of trade
and she has conducted successfully genera
dry goods store, insurance Office publishing
house and real estate agency, all with success
At present she is editor and publisher of thu
Naisten Lehti a magazine for Finnish women
the only one of the kind in the United Sta"
and of the only two published in the
world. "-" ~ -.-'