History of Kalbekkvika

From 1873 – 74, the watercourse took on a new meaning – then as a fluted watercourse for timber. That winter, timber was cut for the construction of the steam sawmill on Risøya in Harangsfjorden. The timber was cut in, among other places, Svelimarka and transported here to Kalbekkvika. Risøbruket was in operation from 1875 to 1885, and in that time large quantities of rough timber were driven out from the then pristine forests. After that, forestry was down until 1908, when Bindalsbruket was started at Terråk. Since then, there have been forestry operations and whistling through the watercourse only with short interruptions. The last hauling out to Sagmestereidet (often called Eidet) was in 1966. Since then, lorries have taken over the timber transport from Vassbygda, but from stretches around Storvatn and Fjellvatn that do not have road coverage, timber has later been hauled to Kalbekkvika and taken on trucks from there. This will probably also be necessary in the future, and thereby an opportunity to experience a small touch of the once fabled log flute life in future times as well.

Roads from large stretches of forest in Stormarka and Svelimarka led here to Kalbekkvika. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of logs have lain in pools along the beaches here, and logs that have passed the waterway out to the Harangsfjorden can be counted in the millions.

The network of footpaths between the farms is now mostly overgrown and only partially visible as footsteps through forest and heath. A footpath from Fjellet and Vatnan passed past Kalbekkvika and branched here to Tosaune, Sørnskog and Govassli. Where possible, it was easier to follow the waterways when they were open or had navigable ice. This was often too tempting and has led to drowning accidents.

The people here lived in a distinctly natural household and the methods of farming were, so to speak, unchanged from the Viking Age until the present century. There was livestock farming and arable farming under barren conditions. Most of the winter fodder for the livestock was obtained from fells, and the tools were scythes and rakes. The fields for grain and potatoes had to receive all the manure. – We hear about many bad years in the 19th century and the grain often froze. Then hunger and crusty bread became sure guests for many. The first to grow potatoes in Vassbygda was a farmer in Damman they called Stor-Fredrik. This was in the 1820s, but potato cultivation did not become common until around 1840 – 1850. We can still find a small testimony from this time in puddles in Svarttjønnbekken not far from here – the stream that forms the border between Tosaune and Sørnskog. One winter, the bark of pine logs on the marsh there was rubbed off, and some of these logs were left on the ice on the stream and later sank to the bottom of the puddles. They are still there.

There was probably a lot of fishing in the lake in the old days too, but perhaps not as much as we might be tempted to believe. It was pure “food fishing” and with tools that gave the fastest and most yield – such as net fishing and fishing in rivers and streams in the autumn. Large quantities of sea trout and salmon went up into the waterway, and it could be easy to take large catches there, but one gets the impression that for most people herring and other sea fish were preferred to freshwater fish.

There was a lot of game in the forests, and a few preferred to hunt and trap in the winters instead of going Lofoten fishing. The noblest game of the time was the tenur, and it could appear in large herds. On cold winter days, sedges sat and grazed in the pine crowns inside all heaths, up to 4 – 5 in a single pine. What the hunters looked forward to the most was the game hunt in the spring on the tiuren’s playgrounds.

Moose were not found here until a short period just after the turn of the century. Then some animals came roaming, and they could possibly have built up a tribe if they had not been quickly exterminated by hunting. Later, stray animals occasionally passed through the area, but it was only after 1945 that a moose tribe slowly began to build up. Now the elk population here is probably one of the densest in Norway.

Until the end of the 1800s, the bear tribe was particularly numerous here, and bat bears often wreaked havoc among the domesticated animals. It could also cause great damage in corn fields in the autumn. Ripe grain must have been one of its staples. There were also large packs of wolves at one time. It was considered even worse than the bear. The fight against the predators was an essential part of the fight for survival, and their encroachment on the small but particularly vital herds of livestock could have very tragic consequences for the people who were affected. But then Helgeland got Norway’s most skilled bear hunter of all time, Sami Old Elias Thomassen (1812 – 1895). He shot well over a hundred bears in his time. At the same time, there were also several other bear hunters who each had a few bear lives on their conscience, but it is undoubtedly Ol-Tomså – as he was called in the villages – to thank for the fact that the villagers were finally freed from the scourge that the predator plague really was for a time when the struggle for food was a life and death struggle for the people in the wilderness villages. Ol-Tomså not only became a folk hero, but also surrounded by a certain mystery and fear. After all, he was Sami, and supernatural abilities were often attributed to him.

Sami and Norwegians had lived side by side in these areas from as far back as history goes. The Sámi were constantly on the move with their reindeer herds, and during the winter they often stayed for longer periods of time in individual farms. The two people groups mostly got along in peace and understanding, but they were different in culture, language and mentality and did not mix with each other.

People have probably roamed these seroks ever since the Ice Age. On the island of Vega, they left their mark over 9,000 years ago. In Vassbygda, a few years ago, a small, particularly finely processed stone ax was found that a hunter had lost between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. Who these people were by race and origin is probably something we will never know.

This was little about Kalbekkvika, which I was actually supposed to write about. It turned out to be more about the tract of which Kalbekkvika is a small part.

Strangers who have visited Vassbygda have often been captivated by the nature here, and not least this watercourse with Storvatn, Fjellvatn and Eidevatn has been described as a real natural gem. We see a bit of it from the cabin here. We look across to some of the wooded islands in Storvatn. Not least these islands help to create a picturesque landscape and the owner is to be congratulated for leaving the old spruce and pine forest that stands there untouched. Not least, it gives a unique and genuine natural atmosphere with an aura from olden times.

The view from the cabin here is roughly the same as the Stone Age man got when he came down to this beach. The forest is not the same. 4 – 5,000 years ago there was only pine forest and deciduous forest to be seen, but the rest of the land is exactly as it was. Up in the mountain band, by the way, we can still see stands of untouched pine forest with trees over 500 years old.

Whether you’re a fisherman, a hunter or you just want to be out in the open, the plains are waiting for you and can give you experiences you won’t soon forget. But also send a thought to the people who in their time lived off this land and were themselves part of nature.

Written by Arvid Sveli 1992.