130 pm, Saturday, August 3rd I was heading west on the Mckenzie Highway 126 the amplified summer heat through the car’s windshield warmed my chest, the air conditioner, set to number 3, kept me sane. Suddenly, the sign post up ahead, Finn Rock. Curiosity got the best of me as a quick glance around there were no houses or business’ except one.
The spelling of the town’s name piqued my interest for it is a nickname those of Finnish heritage called each other such as, “Hey that Finn Niemi stepped on my grass again!” or “Can you believe that Finn Maki, won’t let no one use the sauna don’t ya know! Being of Finnish blood myself I pulled off the road to investigate in the only spot available adjacent to a restaurant. Funny place for a eatery in the middle of nowhere but I snapped a few photographs and head home for further investigation.
Finn Rock began life in 1939 as a lumber camp (even though families lived there for 20 plus years) named for an unusual rock formation that was named after one Benjamin Franklin Finn an early settler of the area.
Not named after a Finnish person (s) right then my pumped chest deflated still, the thirst of history kept me going. Seems that Benjamin Finn claimed to be the inspiration for Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn probably just connected to the two names in hope of fame and glory. Although, there is a Huckleberry Road that runs past where the loggers home’s once stood, what does this all mean? I don’t know!
Finn Rock is just a spot along the Mckenzie Highway and restaurant with a nearby boat launch for anglers. The restaurant was once a general store, then became the post office, now a ghost of the past overlooking the cold, blue, swift, popular Mckenzie River. I so love digging up the past, keeps me connected to the present.
