1,938 miles
Apr 3 – In
1888, Donald M. Bruce owned a store at the crossing of the Duluth, South Shore
and Atlantic Railway and the older Military Road. He was also the first postmaster of a growing
community at that crossroad, so he was empowered to give it his own name,
calling it “Bruce’s Crossing”. It was
shortened to Bruce Crossing on August 13, 1891.
 |
| abandoned Finnish Co-Operative Hall |
In the early
20th century, many groups of Midwestern farmers got together and
formed co-operatives to bypass the middlemen storekeepers who controlled prices
in their towns, and the co-ops marketed their members’ farm produce. Bruce
Crossing became one of the most prosperous Finnish co-operative centers in the Upper
Peninsula, with grocery and general stores, gas and oil businesses, and
dairies. One important business was a
sauna stove manufacturer. In the 1960s,
there were many Finnish motels, restaurants, cafeterias, auto shops, insurance
offices, hardware stores, and other stores in the local towns.
 |
Today,
Settler’s Co-Op has diversified to offer more services, including gasoline and
diesel fuel self-serve pumps, a feed mill and garden center, a large sporting
goods department, and full-line grocery store with a “c-store” included in the
building. (This is a new term for
me. It refers to a convenience store or mini-mart,
also called a “party store” in the Midwest.)
 |
"Picket Pals" Snowmen and Santas
|
The Co-Op also offers Lottery sales, hunting & fishing licenses, stocked
are fertilizers, seeds, and farm-related supplies such as gate horse tack and steel
carports. There is also a greenhouse for
flowers and trees in season.
 |
| Tin Man bird feeder |
Local crafters
make these Tin Men birdfeeders and decorative Picket Pals. This is a full-service community resource.
Nearby is
the Settlers Credit Union, too. Settlers
Federal Credit Union was established in 1932 by a small group of local farmers
who had a difficult time getting financing to plant their crops or feed their
livestock. The original financial reports showed assets of $750.00. Settlers now offers a full range of banking
services.
History of
the Finns in Michigan, by Armas Kustaa Ensio Holmio (2001)
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