Embarrass in Saint Louis County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Nelimark Sauna
Photographed By McGhiever, July 27, 2017
1. Nelimark Sauna Marker
The most characteristic feature of the Finnish homestead is the sauna (pronounced "sow-na"), a place for family and friends to share what they considered to be the "well spring" of life and health. To Finnish homesteaders, the sauna was more than a bath house. It was also used for washing and drying clothes, baking and cooking, butchering and smoking meat and even as a spare bedroom for guests. The sauna was typically the first building built on the farmstead where the family lived until the "big house" was built.
The log sauna of Erick and Kristina Elizabeth Nelimark, built in the 1930's, was the largest sauna in the Embarrass community. It was a simple little structure, easy to build with poplar or pine logs readily available in the surrounding forests. The Nelimark sauna was built with hand-hewn log walls joined in the corners with double-notch joints (ristinurkka or sahanurkka).
National Register of Historic Places
Erected by Northeast Minnesota: The Wild North.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
Location. 47° 39.763′ N, 92° 11.751′
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Alma Norha Playhouse (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Embarrass Co-op (approx. 0.3 miles away); Apostolic Lutheran Church (approx. 1.4 miles away); Hanka Homestead (approx. 1.9 miles away); Longyear Drill Site (approx. 8.2 miles away); Edmund J. Longyear (approx. 8.3 miles away); This Piece of Rock (approx. 8.3 miles away); First Diamond Drill Hole in the State of Minnesota (approx. 8.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Embarrass.
Photographed By McGhiever, July 27, 2017
2. Nelimark Sauna and marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2017, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on December 27, 2018, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 1, 2017, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
