Oscar Wirkkala (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋirkːɑlɑ]; October 30,[1] 1880 – January 25, 1959) was a Finnish-American logger and inventor who spent much of his life in the Pacific Northwest.
His father Abraham and brother Andrew arrived in America first, working at a saw mill in Cosmopolis, Washington, to save money to pay for the migration of the rest of the family.
He also invented important pieces of that industry's machinery used during the first half of the 20th century, including the ubiquitous choker hook.
In the following years, several of his patented devices were manufactured, under the Wirkkala brand, at the Willapa Harbor Iron Works in South Bend.
[citation needed] Wirkkala was added to the Washington state Centennial Hall of Honor in 1985.