July 31, 2008

Marcus Robyns, university archivist at Northern Michigan University, will present "Reluctant Revolutionaries: Finnish Iron Miners and the Failure of Radical Labor and Socialism on the Marquette Iron Range, 1900-1920," at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12 at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, in Negaunee Township.

Robyns' presentation, the sixth in the museum's seven-part weekday program series, will discuss the reasons why radical labor organizations - including the Socialist Party of America, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) - failed to take root in Michigan's iron mines.

According to Robyns, the Finnish immigrant population on the Marquette Range was generally politically and socially conservative. "Most Finnish immigrants had arrived in the early 1880s, and those that did come after 1905 arrived from regions in Finland unschooled in the social democratic movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s," he explained. "On their arrival, they found matured communities that did not support radicalism."

The weekday program series concludes on Aug. 19 with a presentation by Sonya Chrisman, of WNMU-TV 13, titled "The Making of 'The U.P. Recalls the War.'"

Both programs begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to support museum education programs.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, a public, non-profit facility of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. It is located at 73 Forge Road, overlooking the site of the Carp River Forge, a pioneer industrial site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The recently expanded museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about the summer program series or upcoming events, call (906) 475-7857 or visit online at www.michigan.gov/ironindustrymuseum.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity. In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, HAL includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).