8th Finglish trip June 2009 #32
John Mantyla, who arrived around 1880, was the first Finn in Rocklin. He encouraged other Finns to join him after he opened a small granite quarry which became prosperous. Eventually the quarry business in Rocklin, which may have been the most important granite center on the West Coast, was dominated by Finns.
The first Finnish bar was opened in 1889, the opening of that bar was followed by the birth of the Valo Nuorempi Temperance Society. In 1905, when the growth in membership seemed to have no limit, Valo Nuorempi built a large hall for dances, meetings and social events. The Finn Hall was the most magnificent building in the city. The hall is now owned by the city of Rocklin.
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