a short Gold history of Finland

The official history of gold in Finland does not begin until year 1868, two thousand years later than in central and southern Europe, where the Romans mined for gold. So, the recorded gold history in Finnish Lapland does not compete with those of other parts of the world in terms of length. Neither is it comparable with the major gold rushes in scale, as they encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to travel to the other continents. The gold history of Lapland is, however, of great local significance, as it has speeded up the development of northern Finland in a variety of ways for over a hundred years.
 

The Ivalojoki River Gold Rush

In spring 1868 an official expedition, funded by the Senate was send to investigate the rivers of the Lapland. The leader of the team was Johan Conrad Lihr, manager of the Mint. The most remarkable result of the search was the discovery of the gold of Ivalojoki River in Nulkkamukka in the middle of the September. This discovery led to the Ivalojoki River Gold Rush, which lasted for three summers and its peak, over 500 miners took part.

Kultala was build as the headquarters for government officials in 1870 soon after the statute for gold prospecting was passed by Alexander II, the Czar of Russia. Nearly all the activities were focused on Kultala, where the officials issued licences for gold prospecting, purchased all the gold recovered on the claims, maintained order in the area and plotted maps of the claims. In a few years the heyday of the rush was over. At the beginning of the 1880s Kultala was renovated for a team of scholars studying the aurora borealis. After that the gold claims in the area and the buildings of Kultala were hired to private prospectors. Nowadays the Department of Monuments and Sites of the National Board of Antiquities is responsible for preservation of Kultala building.


Laanila

At the beginning of the 20^th century, several gold prospecting companies were formed. The signs of mining activity that are still visible in Laanila area were left by industrial enterprises, such as Prospektor and the Kerkelä mining company in the first decade of the 20^th century, Lapin Kulta Oy and Ivalojoki Oy in the 1920s and some foreign companies in the 1930s. Sadly, the ventures failed and one after another, the companies faced bankruptcy after a few years of activity. But whenever the industrial mining ceased, the area swarmed with individual gold hunters who prospected every creek and river!
 

Lemmenjoki River

As compensation, gold digging was started in different areas of the Lemmenjoki region during the 1940s and it continues to this day. At about the same time, gold places were discovered at Tankavaara. Already in 1902 spread rumours that it was found gold from Lemmenjoki area. Tempted by these rumours dozens of men swarmed to Lemmenjoki, but hardly any gold was found and the area was forgotten for more than 40 years.

The actual gold rush to Lemmenjoki River took place in the middle of 1940s. At first, three Ranttila brothers, Niilo, Uula and Veikko found gold in the lower reaches of Morgamoja River in the summer 1945. Next year the Jomppanen brothers, Niilo Raumala and a couple of others came to try their luck and they all succeed. The news about gold finds spread around the district and so the gold rush began. At the turn of 1940s and 1950s two air strips were cleared on level hilltops, Jäkäläpää and Matiniiskonpalo, by the local prospectors. The main purpose of the strips was to facilitate transport of supplies to the gold fields. Nowadays they are official air fields for small-plane traffic in the summertime.

Tankavaara – from a Lapp’s dream into an international gold centre

The gold of Tankavaara was found by Aslak Peltovuoma a local Lapp from the nearby village of Purnumukka in 1934. He saw this place by the Hopiaoja creek in a dream. At first the deposit was worked by his fellow villagers, but later outsiders also staked claims along the creek. A German Werner Thiede had plans to open a large-scale gold mine, but they never became reality. His villa still exists in Tankavaara.

For so far the biggest nugget here – 183 grams – was found in 1950 by brothers Jouko and Tauno Virtanen. Nowadays the panning site by the Hopiaoja creek is well-known to tens of thousands of tourists, most of whom make their first contact with genuine gold of Lapland here in Tankavaara.