Findings of Fact, Site Location, and Information on
Finland AFS, based on information provided by US Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Used Defense
Site (FUDS) document E05WI0219 of August 31, 1990
Site Location
4 miles N of Finland, Lake County, MN
Site History and Findings of Fact
The former Finland Air Force station is located in the northeastern Minnesota. The site contained 101.26 fee acres, 63.00 acres of easements, 33.83 leased acres and 1.33 acres under license. Portions of the property were leased from individual owners between 1951 and 1956 when the U.S. filed a declaration of Taking for 158.64 acres on May 31, 1956. 95.64 acres were obtained in fee and 63 acres by easement. Records indicate that a recreational area and helicopter landing field consisting of 10.33 acres was leased from the State of Minnesota between June1 1957 and November 1962, with an additional 18.00 acres leased from Lake County in 1959.The 1.33 acre lease was to construct an access road and water main replacement, with an additional 5.62 fee acres obtained from a private party for construction of the GATR site.
The facility housed 100 military personnel and employed 27 civilian employees. There were 96 buildings constructed by the Air Force, including 44 military family housing units and 3 airmen dormitories, and other buildings typical of this type of facility. On-site power and heat generation facilities originally used coal before being changing to oil fired boilers.
Fall out shelters, power and steam generating buildings, radar platforms, GATR and personnel support structures typical to other decommissioned Air Force Stations in the region remained at the site when this report was issued in 1990.
At that time the site had no security.
The base was declared excess on January 23 1981 and disposed on December 2 1982 by quitclaim deed when its mission was transferred to JSS and FAA.
The Air Force maintained GATR operation on the 5.33 acre GATR site until September 30 1984.
All leased areas were disposed prior to declaration of excess in 1981.
Site Map
Site Vicinity and location maps were included in the report.