For the Gazette
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette
A sign for Finlandia University stands in front of the Hoover Center on campus. Finlandia went through a rebranding in 1996. It was previously known as Soumi College.
The five-hour drive to Hancock gave me a scenic view of the U.P. Few towns, a lot of forests, little traffic and abundant scenery. By L’Anse I passed the copper sculpture of Bishop Baraga, the Snow Shoe Priest, and then turned north towards Houghton where I crossed over on the lift bridge and arrived in Hancock. I checked into a local motel, went to a restaurant, and had dinner. Much to my surprise, there on the menu the featured item was” Pasties!” Of course I had to ask the waitress to explain. She gave me a little history lesson, explaining that during the mining days the miners would carry their pasty dinner with them to the work site. A Pasty is of Welch (English) origin, and was adapted by the Finish miners in the U.P. It has been described as a “pot pie without the pot” filled with meat, carrots, potatoes, lard, vegetables, and seasoning. The miners carried them into the mine, and, if needed, heated them on a shovel, held over a headlamp candle. I, being somewhat curious, ordered one, ate it, and felt stuffed right up to breakfast the next morning. Now that I had learned that there were two kinds of pasties, and that the U.P. was not R rated. I went to bed exhausted! The following morning I went to my new employment, Suomi College, and asked for help in looking for an apartment. The secretary was very helpful and gave me some addresses to check out. None seemed to fit the bill. I went back to the school office, somewhat disappointed, and explained my non-success.