Two young boys, Fred and Isaac Esko, stand in front of the home of Alex Esko and Eva Esko, their parents. Fred was two years older than Isaac, and is the taller boy, while Isaac is the one wearing a white shirt. The house depicted here is probably the third in a series of several expansions. The original log home was constructed in 1895 and was basically in the shape of a rectangle that was parallel to Highway 61, on the south side. If you look very closely at the lower left corner of the house, you can see a black line extending west from the corner. This represents the bridge that crossed the Midway River. To the right, the settlement of Esko would begin its development about a decade later.
Depicted here is the farmhouse of Alex and Georgina Esko, located on the hillside banks of the Midway River. The baby is probably Isaac Esko. This photograph was taken south of the present Highway 61, looking northward to the bridge over the Midway River. In the background is a hayshed.
This is a photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Esko, their children Hilda Esko, George Esko, Isaac Esko, Fred Esko, and Henry Esko, and their farm home. The namesake of Esko, Alex Esko purchased the farm in 1890 from Timber baron Andreas M. Miller. Alex Esko was born in Finland in 1862 and came to the Village of Thomson in 1880 and to Thomson Township in 1890 when he purchased the farm. He was a railroad agent, county commissioner, member of Thomson Township School board, and Thomson Township Town Board.
This photograph shows A.L. (Albert L.) Winterquist on a farm in front of a building and two cows, with farm machinery in the far right foreground. Probably this was Mr. Winterquist's farm, since John Junkkonen sold a 40 acre tract in section 27 to A.L. Winterquist. Mr. Winterquist built a two-story modern dwelling on this tract, adjacent to Highway 61.
Pioneer Charles A. Marks, his family and horses, are depicted in front of their remodeled home. The Marks family settled in Thomson Township in 1878. Charles A. Marks was the second county commissioner of Carlton County to serve from the Town of Thomson, in 1901. His original Finnish surname was Markkus. He operated a productive dairy farm located on the Midway River. One of his dairy cows can be seen between the three unidentified ladies. Presumably Charles Marks is the person holding the horses. He was born in Finland in 1854 and died in Thomson Township in 1921.
This is a photograph of the farm home of Charles Gustafson, which he purchased in 1899 from John Kajander. Charles Gustafson sold the farm to Charles Kinnunen in 1925, and two years later he sold it to Victor Maki, who turned it into the Cloverhill Dairy.
Early settler Charles Marks is sitting in his horse-pulled buggy, with his family in front of their house. The Charles Marks farm was located on the south end of the Marks road (the west side thereof) and extended north from the Harney Road. The family's pet cat is sitting on Mrs. Marks' lap. It was photographed by a Moose Lake Photographer, Adry Carlson.
This photograph shows an early road leading to the Victor Sariin farm, located about a half mile east of the Erickson Road and north present day Highway 61. Note the barbed wire fence, rocks piled along the fence line, as well as the deep wagon ruts and planks crossing what was evidently a low and wet spot in the middle of the road.
Shown here is early resident and artist, Edgar F. Olson, and an unnamed man, pitching loose hay in the field. Edgar F. Olson, the son of Nels O. Olson, was born on the Nels O. Olson farm on July 25, 1896, and died as a life-long bachelor on August 18, 1974.
Depicted here are Kaisa Maria Sarkela and Erick Sarkela standing in front of their farm house, with a barn and outbuildings in the background. The boy's name is Jalmari Sarkela, and Jenni Sarkela is the girl in the photograph.
This shows the John Marks' family farm that was located in section 14 on the Marks Road and bordering the Midway River. Pioneer John Marks brought the first steel plow into the area. Notice the hay rake and hay mower, as well as the plow behind the family and their horse. The family settled on the Midway River farm in 1874. Possibly what looks like a flag pole in the background is a Finnish type of well. It was photographed by a Moose Lake Photographer, Adry Carlson.
The family is taking a break in the field with their dog and puppies, as well as a small wagon and buggy. The woman holding the puppies is "Liisa of Kalajoki." In his "History of the Thomson Farming Area," written in Finnish in 1935, John A. Mattinen wrote that the Fred Johnson farm was also known as Liisa of Kalajoki's farm and that Liisa (who died in 1924) was Fred's mother.
This scene shows the pioneer home of Mr. and Mrs. John Niemi, located on the Stenman Road, as well as their large dog sitting in the chair next to Mrs. Niemi. Their surname had been Vanhaniemi and was shortened and simplified to Niemi.
This postcard shows a team of horses hauling loose hay, two men on top pitching the hay, and a woman watching them. The card has written on it in the lower left, "In the Good Old Summer time." The back of the postcard shows that it is number 492 of a series entitled, "Vacation Series Postcards." It was sent to Mrs. A.L. Winterquist from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This photograph depicts a hay shed, with a brush-lined wagon road. It is thought to be the Victor Sariin farm. The Victor Sariin farm was probably located north of Highway 61, about a half mile east of the Erickson Road.
Henry Sunnarborg, at left, stands beside his first car, a Model-T Ford, along with Mrs. Elizabeth Mattinen, who is holding her granddaughter, Vera Mattinen Moll. Standing to the far right is Mrs. Mattinen's son, Emil Mattinen. The Mattinen farm was an 80-acre tract located on the easterly edge of Esko. The north 40 acres was bounded on the west by the Juntunen Road and on the south by Highway 61. The St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and the former Kinnunen Lumber Company (in 2011, the Moosebrew Internet Gallery and Cafe) are both located on what was once a part of the Mattinen farm. The property and two story log portion of the house were purchased in 1887 by Elizabeth and her husband, John Erick Mattinen, known as Erick, from Henry Sunnarborg. Erick Mattinen built the one story part of the house, which became the kitchen. Henry Sunnarborg was the foster father of noted Esko resident, Julia Sunnarborg. The house in the photo, which was dismantled in 1956, was located just west of St. Matthew's Church on the property now identified as 5 Elizabeth Avenue, Esko.
This photograph depicts the Henry Sunnarborg farm, for which the land located on a hill above the Midway River in Thomson Township was purchased in 1889. Their team of horses and hay rake are in the foreground, with Mrs. Henry Sunnarborg and their adopted daughter, Julia (Mattinen) Sunnarborg, in between.
The farm house of J. Alfred Kusicko was built after the 1918 Forest Fire, since his previous house burned in the fire. His name is listed as J. Alfred Kusicko as well as Alfred Kusicko, with his surname being spelled Kuusikko and Kuusiko also.
Alfred Kuusiko's farm home in Thomson Township, before the 1918 Fire, in 1909. Daughter Esther Kusicko was 14 years old in 1909. The surname originally in Finnish would have been Kuusikko, but the Americanized spelling is Kusicko.
Depicted here is the homestead of Johan (Piekkola) Jacobson homestead, as well as his family, located on the Forstie Road. Left to right are Johan (Piekkola) Jacobson, Amanda Jacobson, holding Henry (Ham) in her lap; Axel Jacobson, Arvid Jacobson, Hann
The John Kangas log house shown here was built by Hanse Annala about 1898. There are a rake and several scythes hanging on the wall, with a washtub used for doing laundry on the far left of the photo. Originally the house had a birch bark roof. It was donated to the Finnish American Memorial Foundation of Esko - now the Esko Historical Society - and land was obtained for its current placement as a building of the museum in 1965. The back of the postcard has handwriting saying, "built by Hansi Annala John Kangas home about 1898 Birch Bark Roof."
This is a photograph of the farm home of John Winter with two unidentified men and a grinding wheel on a water trough that was used to sharpen tools such as axes and sickles and other farm tools, in front of them. John Winter's surname originally was Wintturi in his native Finland.
From left to right in this photo of the Joseph Juntunen Sr. family and his farmyard, known as Meadowbrook Dairy, are twins Joseph and Hjalmer Juntunen, Ed Juntunen, Lydia Juntunen, Grandma Elsa Juntunen, Selma Juntunen, Ida Juntunen, Anna Juntunen, Kate Juntunen, and Grandpa Joseph Juntunen in the wagon. Joseph Juntunen Sr. was the founder of Meadowbrook Dairy.
This photograph is of the Luokkala family's house, with their barn and other farm buildings in the background. The two women and baby in the foreground are unidentified.