about Oulu

FROM WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA. 

Oulu is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 527 at the 2010 census.[3] The unincorporated community of Oulu is located in the town. The town is named after Oulu, the fifth most populous city in Finland.

According to the 2000 census, 40% of the population still claimed Finnish as their primary ancestry.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 91.9 km² (35.5 mi²), all land.

Oulu Early History

Throughout the late nineteenth century, Wisconsin's virgin forests were fast disappearing and in their place were sprouting small family farmsteads and communities.

The land that was to become the town of Oulu was one such community that developed its roots among the stumps of past forests. As early as 1889, Finnish immigrants were leading the way in homesteading the land that was to later become the town of Oulu.
  
Swedish, German, Norwegian, and other European immigrants were also among those early homesteaders, but close to 75% of the original homesteaders were of Finnish descent. An even higher percentage of subsequent settlers were new Finnish immigrants or immigrants who had briefly settled in Northern Minnesota or Michigan.
The Finnish influence is present even in 21st century Oulu where, according to the 2000 census, 40% of the population still claim Finnish as their primary ancestry. 

Read more about Oulu's History in "Historical Sketches of the Town of Oulu, Bayfield County, Wisconsin 1889-1956", and "The Second Fifty Years: The Continuing Story of Oulu, Wisconsin 1950- 2004" available at the Oulu Heritage Center Gift Shop.

present day oulu

With the dawn of the 21st century, although the demographics of the community have diversified, there is still a prevalence of Finnish surnames like Elonen, Heikkila, Granlund, Johnson, Kangas, Kallinen, Kongas, Koski, Laakso, Lahti, Lehto, Lind, Maki, Mattila, Mattson, Mehtala, Mikkola, Pudas, Pyykola, Rantala, Rautio, Reijo, Sauvola, Suo, Taipale, Tapani, and Tuura.  In fact, many of these residents continue to claim 100% Finnish heritage.

Although Oulu's dominant influence has been Finnish, equally important were, and still are, the contributions made by the many non-Finnish settlers and their descendants. The Swedish Baptist Church and the Pine Glade Cemetery reflect the strong Swedish influence in the heart of Oulu. The names of descendants of many of those early non Finnish settlers - Anderson, Frostman, Goetsch, Pedersen, and Lindelof - are still found on mailboxes throughout the community.