“Aloha from Hawaii!” “Ahola from Ely!” - was the reply. Or so the story goes as Emil Ahola landed in Hawaii going to visit his son there.
Emil was a Finnish immigrant who came to Ely in 1899 as a single man. Like many others he first found work in Pioneer and Chandler mines but with some skills in plumbing and electricity he then hired on with the city of Ely.
Having the foresight to see that many Finnish immigrants, many of whom lived in boarding houses, would welcome a public sauna. He had purchased the property at 46 East Conan Street building a large house and a sauna building in the rear.
A man who could seemingly do anything he set his mind to, in 1917 he had made 8x16 cement blocks himself for the sauna and apartments above. His large home accommodated 11 children and rooms above that were rented. Ten of the eleven children of Ina Maria and Emil had first names beginning with a “T.”
Emil was not through building or renting: the sauna building was then expanded and a large brick garage was constructed across the street. The bricks came from the St. Croix lumber mill in Winton (after it closed down). This building became a Ford Motor agency that Emil’s son Toimi operated for many years. Toimi himself was a St. Louis County Commissioner for 23 years.
Bricks and cement blocks were not the only forte of Emil’s. He next turned to boards and built a duplex next to the garage. On a large plot of land on Beacon Hill he built several other houses. He must have had some occasional help with these projects but he did not have a construction company. When the man slept is not known!
By the 1940s the Tanner/Carpenter Hospital had closed and the building that later became known as “The Castle” became a boarding house. It was eventually abandoned, but Emil saw yet another opportunity. He remodeled the multi-storied building into the Lakeview Apartments. His tenants were mostly single teachers. He probably had more maintenance with these rentals than he could handle so he retired from his job with the city. He first made a trip to Finland but came back to Ely by the end of the first week. He said there was no one there he knew!
The Ford agency was later sold to Tom Grahek. Tom later built a new building on the east end of town and the old Ford garage was used for storage. Much later it was sold to the Ott family and later the city of Ely. It is scheduled to be torn down this fall with the lots turned into parking for the new hotel on Second Avenue.
Emil Ahola died in 1964. The Ahola family operated the Ely Steam Bath for 87 years. The last owner was Richard Ahola, Emil’s grandson. Following his death in 2000, the sauna remained closed for two years. Rick Petrzilka bought and reopened it in 2002.
In its early days the sauna’s customers were mostly Finnish. My brothers and I could have a sauna for a total of $.75! There was always enough money for each of us to have an Ely Pop Shop bottle of creme soda. The Finnish immigrants and their families eventually built their own saunas, either at their lake cabins, in their basements, or both. Today it is patronized by campers, canoeists, hikers, and tourists. It is open three days a week.
This Ely tradition thus continues as a unique Ely attraction.
Pictures of Emil Ahola and his family are featured in the display case in the lobby of the Minnesota North College, Vermilion campus. The office and museum of the Ely-Winton Historical Society are also here. The office and museum are open from noon until 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday.
Call the office at 218.365.3226 or email [email protected]
