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Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance Kirkland, WA

Finn Hill’s History

Finn Hill's Story

The Duwamish people lived year-round throughout this area since time immemorial. As many as three villages encircled Finn Hill: one to the south at the mouth of Juanita Creek (today’s Juanita Beach Park), one to the north at the mouth of the Sammamish River (present-day Kenmore) and, though evidence is not certain, likely one at the mouth of Denny Creek (today’s Denny Park). Village life followed the seasons; summers were spent traveling for a variety of reasons, while winters were spent more in the villages. The Denny Creek village seems to have been abandoned by the early 1800’s after multiple waves of disease in the region; the others followed after the Duwamish ceded 54,000 acres of land under the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliot.

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While nearby a few Americans homesteaded in the 1870’s near Juanita Bay and near the mouth of the Sammamish River,  Finn Hill itself was simply land for logging . Maps from the time show nearly all of Finn Hill was logged off by the late 1890’s, with only a handful of mature trees remaining here and there in ravines, hillsides, and other less-accessible places.

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One of those places was a bit west and around Holmes Point, present-day O.O. Denny Park. Purchased by Orion Orville Denny (son of Seattle co-founder Arthur Denny) in the 1890's as his country estate, Klahanie, it was accessible only via boat across Lake Washington.

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Why “Finn” Hill?

The first permanent European residents on central and south Finn Hill were nearly all immigrants from Finland. The Reinikainen family was first to arrive, having sailed from Helsinki in December 1903, arriving in Ballard in early 1905. Then in 1906 they bought 10 acres of logged-off land on Finn Hill and began the hard work of clearing stumps and beginning to farm. Other Finns and Estonians soon joined them, including the Wierlo, Mielonen, Peltonen, Lindquist, Jarvi, Salmonson, Haapa, and other families. By all accounts it was a tight-knit community; people knew each other well and looked out for each other.

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Farms on Finn Hill produced fruits, vegetables, turkeys, chicken, and eggs, and “everyone had a cow or two,” according to memory. The children headed down the hill each day to Juanita Elementary School. The community counted at least 29 saunas, many in homes (the one from John Wierlo's home can be found at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle).  Naukkari’s gas station and grocery was established soon after World War 1 on the northeast corner of 122nd Place and Juanita Drive (still a gas station today). From 1919 until the second one burned down in 1958, the community maintained a ‘Finn Hall’ for dances, plays, sports, and many other social get-togethers, which drew Finns from all over King County.

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In a later oral history, the eldest Reinikainen granddaughter recalled that just before World War 2, “there were approximately 50 Finnish families on the main part of Finn Hill, a few Estonians, and only one who was what we called ‘the English people’.”

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1940s to 1960s: Changes on Fill Hill

Aerial photos show that by 1939, many areas that weren’t intensively farmed were reverting to forest, including the areas now included in parks such as Big Finn Hill and Juanita Woodlands. Ground-level photos show that these trees were still young, at most just 40-50 years old, and residents continued to harvest some trees for their own use.

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Shortly after World War II, an anti-aircraft battalion was stationed atop Finn Hill, just south of 117th Street (east of Juanita Drive).  Also just after World War II, some returning veterans established the North Seattle Airpark, with an airstrip running north from 141st Street where QFC stands today (the TLC Preschool on Juanita Drive is in the last remaining building from the airpark).

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But by the mid-1950’s the small farms were beginning to be subdivided, fueling a rapid expansion in housing on and around Finn Hill.  New elementary schools were built (Arrowhead and Moorlands in what is now Kenmore; Sandburg and Thoreau in what is now Kirkland) and were quickly filled. In the summer of 1960 the Inglewood Presbyterian Church moved from meeting at Arrowhead Elementary (in Kenmore’s Inglewood neighborhood) to its new building on 141st Street, and for the first time the Inglewood name sometimes would appear in the top area of Finn Hill. Rapid population growth continued into the 1960’s. The Airpark closed and was replaced by shopping, more farms became subdivisions, and in 1968 Finn Hill Junior High was opened in its current location.

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Still, horses were still a common sight on the roads, and trails through the woods were part of everyday life.  Photos from the 1960’s show the forested areas become steadily more mature, with many faster-growing cottonwood, alder, and maple, but also now including plenty of maturing Douglas fir and some redcedar.

 

1960's to 2010's: Taking Action to Connect Neighbors and Nature

In the midst of this growth, residents deeply valued their access to the woodlands and open spaces. Community advocacy led King County to include $249,000 in the “Forward Thrust” bond initiative to create the 220-acre Big Finn Hill Park; the bond passed in February 1968. About the same time, King County also took over management of OO Denny Park from the City of Seattle.

 

But during a budget crisis in 2001, Denny Park was closed by the County. In response, Finn Hill residents both launched a political campaign and voted to tax themselves to preserve the park. A local vote formed the Finn Hill Park and Recreation District, which managed O.O. Denny for the city of Seattle and preserved the park for all future generations. When Finn Hill was annexed by the City of Kirkland in 2011, Kirkland also took over management of OO Denny Park.

 

Similarly, Finn Hill residents successfully preserved the 40-acre Juanita Woodlands Park from developers, both through organized advocacy and raising more than $500,000 in donations from the local community.

 

Future Generations

We on Finn Hill have been given a magnificent legacy, one we work to continue and strengthen. Named after immigrants, we welcome others to this place. Proud of the natural beauty here, we both enjoy it and invest in it together. Grateful for our strong community, we aim to nurture both nature and neighborhood together.

Benjamin Reinikainen Family, Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance Kirkland, WA

The Benjamin Reinikainen Family, circa 1908,

the first family to build on Finn Hill.

Photo by the Barrie and Raine/Snow Collections.

Lake washington map, Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance Kirkland, WA
Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance Kirkland, WA

Want to dig a little deeper into Finn Hill’s history? Check out these sources:

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