Frank Eld

Orchid: Heritage Stewardship

Long Valley, Idaho

For the past forty years, one man has nearly single-handedly preserved the culture of the Finnish immigrant community in Long Valley. Beginning with the acquisition of the 1905 Roseberry General Store in 1970, he has brought together the best of Finnish-crafted buildings and artifacts for display at Roseberry. These include houses, cabins, a church, a barn – twenty-two buildings in all. Not to mention cultural items from the Finnish community of all types and varieties – including a piece of Finnish bread baked in 1893. As structures around Long Valley are threatened, they are systematically spared the wrecking ball or slow decline by this man on a mission to preserve his culture. Operating under the umbrella of the Long Valley Preservation Society, his efforts have seen the restoration of both Finnish buildings and Finnish heritage. For these, and many more reasons, Frank Eld deserves Preservation Idaho’s recognition with this Orchid Award for Heritage Stewardship.