Sauna in Minnesota
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<i^~ .JSfc. J' «»^ A FINNISH SAVUSAUNA IN MINNESOTA Matti Kaups THE SAUNA or Finnish bathhouse and bath is one of nesota in 1865, observers have characterized aptly the the most distinctive cultural traits the Finns brought saunas as ""the sign ofthe Finn.'" A nineteenth century when they emigrated to the United States in the writer noted that: "'To every [Finnish] farm, no matter nineteenth and twentieth centuries. No other custom or how poor it may be, has belonged since time immemo tradition of these northern Europeans generated as rial also a bathhouse, [a] sauna."'- much interest, curiosity, flights of fancy, and, more re In more recent years the sauna has enjoyed some cently, imitation among their non-Finnish neighbors. measure of general popularity. Minnesotans of various Since the beginning of their settlement in rural Min- ethnic backgrounds have built saunas in their homes and adjoining their vacation cottages. Commercial saunas 1 Eugene Van Cteef, "The Finn in America," in Geographi and those in motels, clubhouses, and in a variety of es cal Review, 6:210 (first quote) (July, 1918); Federal Writers" tablishments catering to health cultists and hedonistic Project of Minnesota, Works Progress Administration, Min excursionists further attest to the adaptabdity and popu nesota: A State Guide, 79, 292, 347, 437 (New York, 1938); larity of the sauna in contemporary Minnesota. Most of Grace Lee Nute, Lake Superior, 193 (New York, 1944); V. A. the so-called saunas currently in use differ markedly Heiskanen, Kdvin Tdhtilipun Maassa, 169 (Helsinki, 1946); both in architecture and function from saunas that the A[rthur] William Hoglund, Finnish Inonigrants in America, 1880-1920, 24 (Madison, Wisconsin, 1960); Cotton Mather and Finnish immigrants built years ago xx'hen they settled in Matti Kaups, "The Finnish Sauna: A Cultural Index to Settle the state. In the past, the purpose of a bath in a sauna ment,'" in Anruds ofthe Association of American Geographers, was not to help the bather lose weight, improve his or 53:494-.504 (December, 1963); O. M. Renter, Finlands Natur, her complexion, or enjoy relaxing sleep, as recent sauna Folk och Kultiir, 55 (second quote) (Borga, 1889). advertisements promise. Rather, to the rural Finns the Mr. Kaups, a native of Hiiiimaa, an island in the Baltic Sea south of Finland, is a professor of geography in the University ABOVE: The late Urho HiU and his dog in fi'ont ofthe ofMinnesota at Duluth and an expert on Finnish folk architec savusauna, now abandoned, that is the subject of tliis ture. article. Spring 1976 11 separate sauna structure xvas an essential and com February, when they could be sledded to the site plementary appendage to the tlirmhouse without indoor selected tor construction.^ Pine logs were preferred for plumbing, fts primary tunction xvas to provide a place to saunas because their form is affected relatively little by bathe, that is, "a place where people heat their bodies great temperature changes. Other species — such as and perspire. " Several other traditional functions, which spruce, balsam fir, cedar, tamarack, and in some cases will be considered later, were also associated xvith the even poplar — were also used when pine was not readily sauna. ^ available. Though bathing was the primary function, noticeable Provided weather and working conditions were regional differences existed iu the sauna's form and use. agreeable, construction began in late April or May. After There is ample evidence that each of the three major the building site had been prepared, the wall logs xvere sauna traditions (north, east, and west) recognized by hewn flat on two opposite sides with a single bevel- ethnologists in Finland were followed by Finns in Min edged standard broadax xveighing from five to eight nesota. In addition, saunas with characteristics of more pounds. To facilitate hewing, logs were commonly than one tradition xvere also built, a fact which negates placed on a skid or on blocks and fastened either with the xvidely held belief that a homogeneous Finnish im wedges, rods, or dogs (holding hooks). Following the migrant sauna culture once existed in Minnesota. The guidelines provided by a string stretched the length of a savusauna or the smoke sauna was the most prevalent log, the desired width was marked off with a pencil or type, and it xvas common in all regions. These old chalk on its upper surface. The excess lateral wood xvas saunas, of xvbich but a fexv remain in Minnesota, were removed hy first notching or scoring the sides ofthe log usually built of logs and characterized by a cbimneyless two or three inches deep at intervals ranging from half a stove (kiuas) of unmortared field rocks. Some of the foot to three feet, depending on the grain and moisture smoke saunas were constructed with adjoining dressing rooms. In time more elaborate saunas have replaced the '^Minneapolis Tribune, Februarx' 17, home and holiby sec old smoke saunas. Usually they are of frame and board tion, p. 1, April 7, section B, p. 10, October 20, 1963, home and construction and are equipped with a brick or stovepipe hobby section, p. 14; S. C. Olin, Sauna: The Way to Health, 8.5 chimney that connects xvitii a metal-walled or bricked-in (Nexv York Mills, 1963). .\ recent brochure advertising saunas states that: "'The centuries-old di->' steam bath of the Finns is stove topped with rocks. ^ just what the doctor ordered for todax's fast-paced hectic lix'- One of the few unmodified savusaunas which has ing, " ill Berns Air King Corporation, "AirKing Inh-oduees the survived is in Kalevala Toxvnship in Carlton County in Authentic Finnish Sauna" (Chicago, n.d.); Thomas Tuomola, northern xMimiesota. It is of north Finnish origin, which What Is A Genuine Finnish Sauna?, 1 (quote) (Helsinki, 1969). bears on the two otlier major immigrant traditions in the ^Iliiiar Tabe, Bast a och Torkhiis i Nordenropa, ,35,3-,357 state, for the north Finnish sauna complex is laigely a (Nordiska Museet, Handlingar: .53-Stocktioliii, 1960); \'an Cleef, in Geographical Review, 6:210-211; J[ohn] .\. Matti- composite of the east and west sauna traditions. iien, Thomsonin Maanviljelysseudun Historiaa, 45-46 (New Firsthand information about this particular sauna from York Mills, 193.5); John Ilmari Kolehmainen, "The Finnish the son of its buOder makes it a particularlx' xaluable Pioneers of Vlinnesota," in Minnesota History, 2.5:322 (De source. Until his death in 1973, Urho Hill lived on the cember, 1944); Hans R. \\'asastjerna, ed., Minnesotan Suomalaisten Historia, 97 (Duluth, 1957); Mesabi Dady News farm which his father, Juho Hyrynkangas, settled when (X'irginia), September 22, 1964, p. 9. Some ofthe information he came to the United States in the early f900s. Hyryn on timber construction and odier aspects of sauna arcliitecture kangas, who was born in Liminka pitiija (parish) in Oulu and functions are based on field inquiries carried out by tlie laani in northern Finland, built the sauna in the spring of author in Finnish rural settlements in Carlton, Itasca, Lake, 1910. Considered a fire hazard, it sits outside the and St. Louis counties in Minnesota betxveen 1964 and 1972, hereafter referred to as Kaups, unpublished field notes, 1964- farmyard 126 feet from the farmhouse. Its external di 72. For a brief description of a more elaliorate sauna, see mensions are 12 feet, 3 inches by 19 feet, and it consists of Elmer L. Eikkila, "".\ Finns Secrets ofthe Sauna," in Conser a bathing room or sauna proper and a dressing room. It vation Volunteer. Noxember-Deceniber, 1964, p. 26-27. fell into disuse in 1959 when the present, more elabo •^Tahe, Bastu och Torkhus, 3.53-.3.54; Kaups, unpublished rate, frame-and-board structure was completed. This field notes, 1964-72. Tlie author is indetited to tlie kite Urho Hill tor providing xaluable intoniiation and for permission to change was unusually late: savusaunas were generally measure and photograph the savusauna. The field work was abandoned or modified in the late 1920s and 1930s.'' carried out in 1971, In general, the change from the old smoke In its architectural characteristics the sauna is analo saunas to more elaborate ones coincided xvith the aging and gous to the north European timber house. Its construc retirement of the immigrants; the more elaborate saunas are tion involved the use of transplanted folk architectural the product of second-generation Finns. concepts and techniques. In general, logs to build •"'The regional, vernacular (folk) construction and architec tural traditions of Finland which the Finns transferred to Min saunas, homes, barns, and sheds were selected from nesota, though ot much interest, are not considered here. standing timber on tarni property or trom nearby unset Much ot the information about construction is from Kaups, tled forest lauds and were usually felled in January or unpublished field notes, 1964-72. 12 Minnesota History LOGS OF sauna walls were shaped and carefully fitted vertically and horizontally. The upper surface of the log is left in its natural curved shape and the underside is shaped to fit it. Three varus or hand-forged scribers are shown below. content. The e.xcess xvood was hacked out lengthxvise on both sides ofthe logs. The process was repeated until the desired xvall xvidth — generally between six and eight inches — was obtained. Next, the bark was peeled from the top of the logs with a sheath knife or with a special The outlined wood was hewed out to provide approxi hand-forged bark stripping iron. mate fit of the concave-convex surfaces. A longitudinal In constructing the walls of buildings in which beat groove xvould be left between the logs whicli was filled retention was important, a vara or band-forged scriber xvitii moss for insulation at the time of construction.