California Dreaming – Finns in California from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley

Abstrakti

This article discusses a cultural heritage preservation project concerning the archival processing and research of the archive of a California Finnish community. While working as a visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley February–June 2019 at Bancroft Library archive, I conducted archival research and processing of an archival collection named the United Kaleva Brothers & Sisters (UFKB&S) Lodge No. 21 records. The records were acquired from the Finnish Hall in Berkeley, California, by the Bancroft Library at University of California, Berkeley, during the spring of 2018. The UFKB&S Lodge 21 records revealed important and unique documentation concerning the Finnish American community in  Berkeley, California, and Oregon. The documents are comprised of minutes from meetings  at various lodges in several cities in California, member lists, photos, contracts, accounts, and documents detailing the activities organized by the members of the lodges.