Mons Andreas Petersen | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 6, 1829 |
| Died | November 15, 1886 (aged 57) |
| Other names | Mons Petter |
Mons Andreas Petersen, best known as Mons Petter (sometimes Mons Peter; April 6, 1829 – November 16, 1886), was a Norwegian Sami farmer that discovered ore deposits in Sulitjelma in 1858.[1]
Mons Petter was a Sami farmer from the Skognes farm in Lakså along the shore of Øvervatnet (English: Upper Lake) in what is now the municipality of Fauske—at that time the hundred of Skjerstad.[2][3][4] In the summers he used to haul timber out from the pine forests of the area around Langvatnet (English: Long Lake) about 32 kilometers (20 mi) to the southeast. He had noticed veins of rust in the mountains.[4] In 1858, he found ore there that he thought was gold. He took his find to the merchant Bernhard Koch in Venset, who determined that it was not gold based on its weight.[5] In fact, he had found chalcopyrite (a golden yellow copper ore) and pyrite (fool's gold).[1]
The discovery led to the establishment of Sulitjelma Mines (Norwegian: Sulitjelma gruber), which began operations in 1891.
The Mons Petter Festival is held annually in Sulitjelma in late June to celebrate the area's mining history.[6][7]
References
- 1 2 Store norske leksikon: Sulitjelma Gruber.
- ↑ Kristiansen, Ivar. 1987. Da skjerpetiden begynte i Sulitjelma. Fauskeboka 1987. Fauske: Fauske Kulturstyre.
- ↑ Enge, Kåre. 1991. Han Mons Petter. Fauskeboka 1991, p. 43. Fauske: Fauske Kulturstyre.
- 1 2 Anfindsen, Anfind. 1914. En beskrivelse om Sulitjemadalens kolonisering og Sulitjelma Grubers tilbliven. Sulitjelma historielag.
- ↑ Spjelkavik, Andreas. Historier og tanker fra Sjønstu og Sjønstudalen. Sulitjelma historielag.
- ↑ Ansari, Nuha E. 2004. Fodor's Scandinavia. New York: Fodor's, p. 484.
- ↑ Dølmo, Ida Kristin. 2016. Mons Petter består. an.no (April 21).