Bruneau Dunes Photo By Natalie Bartley
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Frank Eld, Finnish historian, restores nostalgic Roseberry Village
Antiques and contemporary items in the Roseberry General Store enthrall Frank Eld and his granddaughter, Jessy. The Roseberry General Store and Museum is open to visitors from May to September. [Photo courtesy of the Historic Townsite of Roseberry]
By Dianna Troyer To pioneering Finns, Long Valley north of Boise was perfect for settlement. It had all the traits they thrived on in their homeland: long harsh winters, short growing seasons, mountainous lakes, and abundant timber. The land had recently been surveyed and was available for homesteading. “My dad, Albin, and other Finns settled here because it reminded them of Finland,” says Frank Eld, 67, who grew up near Donnelly. “With other Finns, he came here in 1899 because drought and economic conditions had devastated Finland’s economy, and young men faced the threat of being conscripted into the Russian Army.” Albin and other Finns were log craftsmen and soon set to work in Idaho building cabins, other homestead buildings, and barns using a unique log construction style. They fit logs tightly together, so no chinking was needed. “First, the logs were squared on two sides with a broadax,” explains Frank, a historic preservationist who is writing a book, “Finnish Log Construction – The Art.” “Next, a special tool called a vara was used to scribe the logs, which were then hewn and concaved on the bottom so they would fit together. Corners were either dovetailed or doublenotched to hold the logs in place. Only a thin row of moss or grass was placed between the logs.” Frank has a tremendous respect for their skills. “It took years for Finns to master these log building techniques,” he explains to visitors who stop by the townsite of Roseberry, 96 miles north of Boise, where there are many examples of Finnish log buildings, including cabins, a barn, and a blacksmith shop. Since 1969, Frank and volunteers have been restoring Roseberry, one building at time. With patience and persistence, he has left a legacy of 25 structures that visitors can tour from May to September to help them imagine what life was like for immigrants in Idaho a century ago. The Long Valley Preservation Society administers the Historic Roseberry Townsite. (Cont’d on page 41)