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Imatrankoski, Finland
July 5, 1953


[letter includes a hand-drawn map of map of Finland with pertinent landmarks]

Dear Mrs. Keys,

Thank you so much for your interesting letter. It was much to my delight that I received it and realized at last I had found a good American pen friend. And I imagine how wonderful it is that a few lines in a magazine can make me acquainted with people living so very far away. I at once took my map of the United States and was able to find the place you called San Angelo but Wall did not appear on my map. I noticed many interesting names as [sic] Crystal City, Eden, Arden City, Corsicana, and Alice. The last name reminded me of the novel “A town like Alice” by Nevil Shute which I liked very much. Have you read it?

I am almost sure you will not be able to find Imatrankoski on your map and so I try [sic] to draw a very rough map of Finland putting there the [sic] geographical names I mention here.

Imatra is the biggest of the small country towns in Finland and Imatrankoski is a part of Imatra. Imatra is a manufacturing district and has a population of about 28,000. There are many big factories which refine lumber and a saw mill. Besides them we have an iron works, a brick factory, and a factory producing methylated spirit and turpentine.

In spite of this being a manufacturing district it is very beautiful. We have a river here, called the Vuoksi and a big lake called Saimaa and a number of smaller lakes. Actually we have only a part of the river Vuoksi because the lower part now belongs to Russia according to the peace treaty made after the last war.