67 Years: Brooks Trap Mill – What began as a sawmill is now a major trap producer for New England and Canada

 

The current owners, Karl’s children,
are (from left) Stephen Brooks, Julie Brooks Russo, and Mark Brooks.

The current owners, Karl’s children, are (from left) Stephen Brooks, Julie Brooks Russo, and Mark Brooks.Michael Ojala, a Finnish immigrant, settled in the Thomaston area before World War II with an eye on becoming a lawyer. Back then, no schooling was required; you only needed to apprentice under a lawyer and pass the bar exam. But the lawyer Ojala was apprenticing under, a Mr. Miles, advised that he change his name; it was difficult to pronounce (OY-ah-la) and Finns weren’t too favorably looked upon (this was before the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939, after which Finns’ reputation in the U.S. did a complete one-eighty). Since “Ojala” meant “beck,” a swiftly running brook, Michael chose the last name “Brooks.” Read more

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