Anders Berg

Andrew Berg was born Anders Berg on October 16, 1869, in Nykarleby, Finland, then part of the Russian Empire. His father Johan and mother Lovisa owned a small farm. The family also hunted and fished. Because of extreme poverty, Andrew left Finland in 1887 at the age of 16. Along with two other boys from his town, Berg sailed to Hull in England, before travelling to Liverpool by train. He was one of 500 emigrants that were to sail to New York City aboard the St. Andreas. Because of a cholera outbreak, the ship instead sailed to Quebec. The boys travelled to Chicago, then to Michigan City, Indiana, where they obtained work at a sawmill.

After working at the mill for a short time, Berg travelled to his uncle Erik's home in San Francisco. Berg travelled to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, likely with his uncle, and took a job at a salmon cannery. Living in the village of Kenai, Berg spent his winters trapping and fished for the Alaska Packers' Association during the summer.