This summer, Kenneth Eriksson steered his motorhome towards Jämtland. The target on the GPS was the town of Lit, 40 kilometres north of Östersund. Kenneth had long intended to visit the place but had not gotten around to it until now. Why Lit, you might ask? Those of you who know the history of Sollerön know the answer. The rest of you will find the answer in this article.
In the early 19th century, times were tough on Sollerön. Families were large and the cottages were crowded. There were not enough beds and food for everyone. Domestically, the authorities pursued an aggressive policy of new cultivation and colonization. The so-called "avtivtring"* and the "grosskift". The intention was to make agriculture more efficient and create new cultivations. The governor of Jämtland took note of this and offered settlers from Dalarna in particular favorable terms if they moved to the region and began farming the land. The offer included land, tax exemption for 30 years, seeds and a start-up capital.
In 1827, a group of 13 families, 61 people, 27 of whom were children, left Sollerön. Karl Lärka writes that around the turn of the last century he heard an eyewitness – the 100-year-old Russian Lars Larsson “Ryss-lintjen” – tell how he had seen a number of families at the maypole in Gruddbo who were travelling in a long, long caravan with boxes, horses, cows and people down the hill with the destination Jämtland. It was a arduous journey. Some emigrants kept diaries and there you can read that the journey went to Gävle and along the coast up to Sundsvall. Then westwards into Jämtland. There are also spokespeople who say that the journey went north over winter ice via Sveg.
Once in Lit, the immigrants were welcomed and allocated land 20 km east of the village of Lit on the Indalsälven River. The place where they started their new life was named Nyby.
Most of them stayed behind and built a new community in the wasteland. As time went on, new generations came into the world. The church records contain notes about how the emigrants fared. The descendants erected a memorial stone in 1927. When Kenneth visited Lit and Nyby this summer, he met several people who originated from Sollerön.
In the 1980s, a driving trip was arranged from Sollerön to Lit. Now it was Kenneth who was curious about the history and the memorial stone and inspired this article.
The emigration to Lit is not the only one that has taken place from Sollerön.
When industrialism took off in Sweden in the 19th century, the next exodus from Sollerön took place. In the 1890s, the sawmills and ironworks in central Dalarna needed labor. Farm sons and farmhands on the Tunaslätten plain outside Borlänge were attracted to start working and earning money in the mill. Then the need arose to fill the farms with new farmers. Some of them emigrated from Sollerön to Torsång. And descendants of these families are of course still alive today. There is no memorial stone, but you can read about the event in church records and in Sool-Öen 1982.
On solfoto.se There are many photos from this.
The third wave of emigrants went to the “land of happiness” America in the middle and late 19th century. People fled from poverty and hardship. It is said that 1.2 million of Sweden’s population emigrated to America until 1930. 50,000 emigrated from Dalarna, boarding in Gothenburg. Most of them to Minnesota and the areas around Chicago. Places like Mora and Stockholm are not only found here in Sweden.
Countless are the family reunions that have created joy on Sollerön when Swedish descendants have visited their roots here. And countless are the trips that today's Sollerön residents have made to their extended families "over there." Interestingly, the ability to speak Soldmål has united the emigrants and Sollerön residents better than English and Swedish.
A certain amount of emigration also took place in modern times. In the 1950s and 1960s, many people from the valley moved to Stockholm. There was work there, especially in the construction industry. The term “Masrallyt” was coined when people from the valley returned home to their farms in Kopparberg County.
Will there be a new exodus from the parish or will there be immigration instead?
Urbanization is about to subside. The beautiful nature, interesting history and vibrant culture are attractive. We are happy to share because there is plenty of space. The opportunity to live and work in harmony with nature in parallel with access to preschools, schools, shops, clubs and gas stations on the island is attractive. Of course, the proximity to Mora with jobs and community functions within schools, healthcare, trade and communications is a big plus.
Today it is also possible to have an office at home and work remotely. Those who live will see!
Welcome!
*Avvitring = Land surveying act that was introduced to create boundaries between the forests of the village council and the Crown. It took place from the 17th century to the early 20th century.
Lasse in Vibergsgården
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