Maggie
Walz
Photo
c edit:
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
Bo
Ma ga eeta
Joha a
Ko tt a
Nii a e
i
To io,
Fi la d,
i
1861,
Maggie
Walz
came
to
the
U ited
States
at
the
age
of
20
with
almost
othi g,
just
$7
i
he
pocket
a d
a
dete mi atio
to
build
a
ew
life.
Acco di g
to
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
(NPS),
Walz
a ived
i
Michiga ’s
Uppe
Pe i sula
as
“a
me e
gi l…
a
st a ge
amo g
st a ge s”
i
a
cosmopolita
settleme t
of
immig a ts.
She
took
a
job
as
a
domestic
se va t,
lea ed
E glish
th ough
ight
school,
a d
quickly
set
he
sights
o
somethi g
mo e.
Ove
the
ext
fou
decades,
Walz
would
become
a
pio ee i g
busi esswoma ,
ewspape
publishe ,
suff agette
a d
commu ity
builde ,
challe gi g
the
ge de
o ms
of
he
time
a d
leavi g
a
i delible
ma k
o
Fi ish-Ame ica
histo y.
He e’s
he
sto y,
as
pe
NPS:
se va t
to
e t ep e eu
a ivi g
i
Michiga ,
Walz
wo ked
fo
the
Jacob
Oja pe a
family
i
Oska ,
ea
Houghto .
But
she
had
othe
aspi atio s.
She
cha ged
he
ame
to
be
mo e
eadily
accepted
i
mai st eam
Ame ica
society
a d
took
a
job
selli g
sewi g
machi es,
pia os
a d
o ga s
doo -to-doo .
Late ,
she
wo ked
as
a
sales
cle k.
These
expe ie ces
helped
he
maste
he
la guage
skills
a d
taught
he
the
eleme ts
of
comme cial
t ade.Walz
set
he
sights
beyo d
the
Fi ish
immig a t
commu ity,
but
she
was
also
ve y
active
withi
it.
She
atte ded
the
Fi ish
Apostolic
Luthe a
Chu ch,
a d
was
a
fou di g
membe
of
Pohja tahti
(No the
Sta ),
a
Fi ish
tempe a ce
society
established
i
Ha cock
i
1885.
She
also
helped
the
local
Fi ish
commu ity
g ow:
i
1887,
she
etu ed
to
Fi la d
a d
came
back
to
the
U ited
States
with
14
you g
wome
immig a ts.
Walz
helped
mo e
Fi ish
wome
come
to
the
U.S.
by
u de w iti g
thei
passage,
teachi g
them
E glish,
a d
helpi g
them
fi d
employme t.
This
e deavou
led
to
othe
busi ess
oppo tu ities.
She
became
a
ticket
age t,
a
ota y
public,
a d
ope ed
a
cu e cy
excha ge.
She
also
p ovided
i te p etatio
se vices
fo
Fi ish-speaki g
immig a ts
i
busi ess,
legal,
a d
othe
t a sactio s
fo
which
E glish
was
esse tial.
ge de
o ms
this
e a
i
the
Coppe
Cou t y,
wome
did
ot
typically
pu sue
the
p ofessio s
that
Walz
chose.
By
establishi g
he self
as
a
i depe de t
busi esswoma ,
she
challe ged
the
otio s
of
wome ’s
p ope
ole
i
late
19th
ce tu y
society.
She
was
ofte
desc ibed
as
u ladylike,
if
ot
dow ight
masculi e.
“She
may
wea
ski ts,
but
she’s
o
lady!”
was
a
exp essio
commo ly
quoted
i
he
ega d,
as
pe
the
epo t.
Othe s
said
“she
had
a
voice
like
a
sea-captai ’s.”Walz’s
i depe de t
app oach
to
he
p ofessio al
life
applied
to
he
pe so al
activities
as
well.
Alo g
with
a
g oup
of
f ie ds,
she
attempted
to
establish
a
wome ’s
suff age
o ga isatio
i
1888;
thei
effo ts
did
ot
meet
with
much
success.
Yet
Walz
was
well- ega ded,
especially
i
the
Fi ish
immig a t
commu ity.
Ma y
people
owed
he
a
debt
of
g atitude
fo
helpi g
them
make
a
sta t
i
thei
adopted
cou t y
lo g
afte
they
had
epaid
the
fi a cial
i vestme t
she
made
i
thei
i te est.
a
wome ’s
moveme t
left
the
Kewee aw
to
ea
a
deg ee
i
busi ess
f om
Valpa aiso
College
i
I dia a.
Whe
she
etu ed
i
1894,
she
successfully
o ga ised
the
Calumet
Suome
Nais-Yhdistys
(Calumet
Fi ish
Wome ’s
Society),
which
was
dedicated
mo e
b oadly
to
the
ge e al
adva ceme t
of
wome ,
athe
tha
to
suff age
alo e.
It
late
became
a
atio al
o ga isatio .
The
society
published
a
ewspape
–
the
Naiste
Lehti
(Wome ’s
Pape )
–
that
was
eve tually
dist ibuted
atio ally.
Walz
was
la gely
espo sible
fo
its
publicatio ,
se vi g
at
va ious
times
as
busi ess
ma age ,
edito ,
a d
publishe .
At
times,
Walz
p oduced
the
pape
e ti ely
by
he self,
a d
at
he
ow
expe se.
I
additio
to
he
wo k
with
the
Naiste
Lehti,
Walz
was
the
busi ess
ma age
fo
a othe
majo
Fi ish-Ame ica
pape ,
the
Ame ika
Suometa ,
which
was
also
published
i
Calumet
a d
dist ibuted
atio ally.
Walz
Block
a d
a
pe so al
sig atu e
1902,
Walz
built
a
stately,
th ee-sto y
busi ess
block
o
Pi e
St eet,
the
comme cial
ce te
of
Calumet’s
Fi ish
commu ity.
Cha les
K.
Sha d,
the
a chitect
who
desig ed
the
Red
Jacket
Ope a
House
( ow
k ow
as
the
Calumet
Theat e)
also
desig ed
Walz’s
buildi g.
The
Walz
Block
housed
busi esses
i
two
sto ef o ts
a d
othe
ooms
o
the
g ou d
floo ,
i cludi g
the
Ame ica
Suometa
busi ess
office,
a d
a
clothi g
sto e
ope ated
by
Walz
he self.
Meeti g
ooms,
offices
a d
apa tme ts
occupied
the
uppe
floo s.
The
pedime t
of
the
buildi g
a ou ced
itself
boldly
i
a
stylised
i sc iptio
desig ed
to
look
like
Walz’s
sig atu e,
a
pe so alised
touch
which,
though
u usual,
was
pe fectly
i
cha acte
fo
Walz.
colo y
o
D ummo d
Isla d
did
ot
limit
he self
to
the
Coppe
Cou t y:
i
1903,
she
filed
a
claim
u de
the
Homestead
Act
fo
160
ac es
o
D ummo d
Isla d,
a
la ge
isla d
i
Lake
Hu o
at
the
easte
e d
of
the
Uppe
Pe i sula.
She
fou ded
a
Fi ish
colo y
the e
i
1905,
based
o
the
ideals
of
tempe a ce,
coope ative
capitalism,
a d
Ch istia ity.
I
he
ho ou ,
the
commu ity
was
amed
K eeta ,
a
sho te ed
fo m
of
Ma ga eeta,
simila
to
“Maggie”
i
E glish.
The
isla d
colo y
was
a
stu i g
success.
The
Det oit
F ee
P ess
epo ted
that
as
of
Novembe
1911,
the e
we e
“five
settleme ts,
with
a
combi ed
populatio
of
p obably
a
thousa d.”
Educatio
a d
the
c eatio
of
commu ity
we e
highly
p ized
a d
p io itised
by
a y
homesteade
colo y;
K eeto
held
five
sto es,
a
hotel,
a d
the
o ly
school
atte ded
i
the
atio
atte ded
exclusively
by
Fi ish
child e .
Walz
t aveled
back
a d
fo th
ac oss
the
Uppe
Pe i sula
fo
a
umbe
of
yea s,
mai tai i g
busi ess
i te ests
i
Calumet
as
well
as
o
D ummo d
Isla d,
whe e
she
was
the
postmist ess.
Howeve ,
she
disassociated
he self
f om
the
colo y
whe
a
g oup
of
socialists
took
it
ove
i
1914.
cha gi g
pe ceptio
that
time,
attitudes
about
wome ’s
ights
we e
shifti g.
I stead
of
desc ibi g
he
as
u ladylike,
a
Det oit
ewspape
decla ed
that
Walz
was
“a
fi e
type
of
i depe de t
woma hood,
about
40
yea s
of
age.
She
has
a
good
physique
a d
possesses
a
f a k,
f ie dly
ma e ,
i spi i g
co fide ce
i
he
ability.
She
is
actuated
by
a
desi e
to
be efit
he
cou t yme ,”
as
pe
NPS>
The
a ticle
goes
o
to
list
he
ma y
busi ess
a d
social
accomplishme ts.
This
cha ge
i
pe ceptio
i dicated
the
a ival
of
a
mo e
mode
age
that
Walz
he self
may
have
helped
c eate.Ove
the
ext
few
yea s,
Walz
t aveled
a ou d
the
U ited
States,
establishi g
b a ches
of
Calumet’s
Suome
Nais-Yhdistys
i
othe
a eas.
She
was
active
i
the
Michiga
Wome ’s
Ch istia
Tempe a ce
U io ,
a d
was
the
Ame ica
delegate
to
the
I te atio al
Wome ’s
Ch istia
Tempe a ce
U io
meeti g
i
Glasgow,
Scotla d
i
1910.
She
subseque tly
pa ticipated
i
a
wome ’s
delegatio
to
the
Coolidge
admi ist atio
i
Washi gto ,
D.C.
As
she
became
i c easi gly
well-k ow
a ou d
the
cou t y,
ewspape s
bega
p ofili g
he .
Sometimes
they
efe ed
to
he
(p esumably
with
the
best
of
i te tio s)
as
the
“a gel
of
the
ou dheads,”
as
Fi ish
immig a ts
we e
somewhat
dispa agi gly
k ow .
She
was
also
called
the
“Ja e
Addams
of
No the
Michiga ”
fo
he
commu ity
wo k.Maggie
Walz
died
i
1927
at
the
age
of
65
at
Memo ial
Hospital
i
Lau ium,
whe e
she
was
bei g
t eated
fo
p eumo ia.
Whethe
people
viewed
he
as
a
a gel
o
pio ee
of
social
welfa e,
o e
thi g
is
ce tai :
Walz
dete mi ed
he
ow
path
i
life.
Afte
maki g
he
way
to
a
u familia
cou t y,
she
p oceeded
to
establish
he self
i
the
commu ity.
She
wo ked
to
bette
the
lives
of
he
fellow
Fi ish
immig a ts
a d
wome
i
Calumet
a d
beyo d.
She
acted
locally,
atio ally,
a d
i te atio ally
to
adva ce
wome ’s
ights,
a d
was
a
powe ful
advocate
fo
ew
Ame ica
citize s.