History about Sørengvatn

The farm Søbergsli is first recorded in 1657. The user at that time was Claus Michelsen. The livestock on the farm then consisted of 1 horse, 3 cows, 5 goats, and 4 sheep. This makes it clear the farm must have existed before that year, but no one today can say how old it really is. Søbergsli was originally crown land and was included in the major property transfer when the Danish king in 1666 transferred almost all land in Nordland and Troms to the financier Jocum Irgens. Later, the farm became part of the Angel estate in Helgeland. In 1873 it followed when Christian Holst of Sømnes sold his farms in Vassbygda to Julius Jakhelln. He established the Risø sawmill, which operated from 1875 to 1885, and Frithjof Plahte joined as co-owner—and from 1885 became the sole owner of the estate. Today Søbergsli is part of Plahtes Eiendommer. The farm is located in Bindal, but borders Brønnøy municipality to the east.

In our time, this farm is considered very remote, but before the road to Vassbygda from Hommelstø was built in 1913–14, the people of Søbergsli actually had a shorter route to the sea—and thus to church and trading posts—than the other farms in Vassbygda. They had a boathouse on the fjord at Søbergslistøen. Fishing was an important part of survival.

With its location about 250 meters above sea level, one might think it was unsuitable for grain cultivation, but the farm lies sheltered and facing south, so it may still have been possible. Growing their own grain was essential for survival in earlier times.

With vast forest and mountain areas, the farm was well suited for hunting and trapping, and the name Bjørnstokkenget (“the bear log meadow”) hints at bear-trapping setups on the property.

About the last male user of the farm, Elias Johnsen (1823–1899), it is said that he shot a wolf over bait from a shooting slit in the barn.

Elias Johnsen from Hongbarstad married Anna Jensdatter from Tosdal, and they moved to Søbergsli in 1847. They had a daughter, Anna, born in 1847. Later they had another daughter, Severine, born in 1869. The widow of Elias died in 1912. Her two daughters continued living on the farm and ran it as before. In 1928 the older sister passed away, leaving Severine alone. But she continued operating the farm and managed to support herself on the remote homestead.

In the 1930s a “forest wanderer” roamed around Vassbygda. He likely suffered from a kind of paranoid delusion and was constantly on the run from the sheriff and others he believed were after him. He spent most of his time outdoors in the forests, both summer and winter, sleeping in hay barns or under the open sky. Only at a few farms did he dare to stop and fill his sack with some food. One of these places was Søbergsli.

The man’s name was Torvald, and in the outlying fields there was a small hay barn where he used to sleep. It later became known as Torvald Meadow (Torvaldenget). One day in January 1936, Torvald came to Søbergsli and found Severine dead. After that, the farm was abandoned.

The buildings at Søbergsli were in good condition at that time. The main house was a log structure, one story tall, with wooden cladding on the outside. In the kitchen there was a large stone hearth where food was cooked. There was also a traditional timber cowshed and a storage hut.

During the winter of 1937–38, logging took place at Søbergsli, and the main house was used as lodging for the loggers. The timber was transported by horse to Sørengvatnet.

ChatGPT sa:

There was logging activity at Søbergsli already during the time of the Risø sawmill, and the timber was floated down the Bjørnstokkelva, parts of which can be seen from the road. There was a log-driving dam near where the road now ends, and the marsh at the turnaround area served as the water reservoir. In the lower half of the Bjørnstokkelva above Sørengvatnet, timber was still being floated as late as 1940. It is also worth mentioning that a man from Tosaune rented the hayfields at Søbergsli during the war years. He transported the hay from there by horse in winter conditions.

Søbergsli was Anna and Severine’s world. Here they knew every detail of the landscape from the time they, as herders, followed the livestock across the wide expanses of forest and mountain. This was where they felt at home and at one with the nature around them. For them, it was perhaps fortunate that they did not have to leave this place while still alive.

(Arvid Sveli 1995)