Rural Life

As J.W. Nara’s photographic business grew, he invested in timber property in the Bootjack area outside Lake Linden. In addition to selective harvesting and milling of lumber, Nara leased cutover lands to Finnish immigrants for small farms. Often overlooked behind the prominent stories of copper mining and urban Calumet, J.W. Nara’s images of farm families and life in these nearby rural settings document otherwise unseen aspects of the region’s history.