An Immigrant Story - Gustaf Maatta

A building next to the top of a waterfall.
The Blights Fuse Factory at Eagle River Falls.

Photo Courtesy Michigan Tech Archives

Finnish immigrants Gustaf and Briita Maatta came to Eagle River with their family ca. 1890. There, Gustaf and son Henry manufactured fuses for the Blight Fuse Co. at a factory on the river's bank and they embarked upon an immigrant story.
 
A tall, worn grave marker.
Henry Maatta's marker at the Evergreen Cemetery in Eagle River.

NPS Photo

Henry was left a young widower in 1901, but by 1910 he lived with his second wife Sophia and their children on Copper Falls Road. It seems likely that the family moved back to Eagle River before 1919 when Henry died of double pneumonia at the age of 44. He joined his mother in the Eagle River cemetery, survived by his father, wife, and several children.

Last updated: March 16, 2018

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

25970 Red Jacket Road
Calumet, MI 49913

Phone:

906 337-3168

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected