The settlement was founded by Herman Keranen (born November 5, 1862, in Puolanka, Oulun Laani, Finland), who had been working in the lumber camps when he bought several  plots and constructed a crude log cabin. With the money he earned from lumbering, he established the largest and most productive farm in the area, which led to the community being named for him. For a number of years, the primary access to the area was via the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad Company.
Herman Keranen, born on November 5, 1862, in Puolanka, Oulun Laani, Finland, founded a settlement by purchasing land and building a log cabin. He used earnings from logging to create the largest and most successful farm in the area, earning the community his name.  The primary way to reach the region was through the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad Company for many years.