Strömsdal
Sebastian Grave (1688–1748) and his partner Hans Olofsson Ström (1682–1761) established several ironworks in the Finnforest, where no ironworks had yet been established.
In just eleven years, they started ironworks in Gravendal, Fredriksberg, and Annefors, as well as blast furnaces in Strömsdal and Ulriksberg!
Starting so many ironworks was, of course, expensive. Sebastian Grave soon spent all his money and needed to borrow more. And then even more. In secret, he borrowed from the money that Ström had set aside to sustain iron production.
The 18th century was a time of new ideas. Technology and industries developed rapidly. Many people sought new approaches in iron production. One of those innovators was industrialist and ironworks owner Sebastian Grave. His idea was to seek out a forest that had not yet been depleted by charcoal production.
The first ironworks Sebastian Grave established was Gravendal’s Ironworks, named after him. But hardly had it been completed before he and his partner, Hans Olofsson Ström, applied for permission to build another blast furnace to supply pig iron to the Gravendal hammer.
Less than ten kilometers away, at the outlet of Eldsjön Lake, they found the perfect spot and named the ironworks Strömsdal after Ström.
Here, they built a charcoal blast furnace, where the upper part was insulated with earth, sand, and stone and then clad with timber.
However, they did not expect to produce so much iron. After just fifteen years, they needed to build an even larger furnace. The new furnace was nine meters high. To reach the top to load ore and coal, they constructed a long bridge so carts filled with coal and iron ore could be driven all the way up.
At breakneck speed, they also built brick roasting pits, a coal house, a pig iron storage, a small smithy for producing smaller iron goods, and a water-powered hammer to crush the ore. Additionally, they constructed dams and canals to regulate water flow in case of drought so that the waterwheels would not stop. And, of course, the workers needed housing.
All around the forest, crofters worked with charcoal kilns to supply the ironworks with charcoal, which was stored in a massive coal house.
The ore came from the mines in Grängesberg. It was transported across Lake Norra Hörken on sledges to the Strömsdal blast furnace, where it was smelted into pig iron. The pig iron was then transported further along the sledging route to the smithy in Gravendal.
Eventually, both Ström and Sebastian Grave were impoverished, and their friendship ended. They divided the ironworks between them, with Sebastian Grave receiving Fredriksberg and its associated ironworks, while Ström took Gravendal and Strömsdal.
On March 14, 1748, Sebastian Grave passed away. After years of financial troubles and exhausting work, his health had deteriorated. Ström outlived him by 13 years.
In 1873, the next major change came to the area. The railway between Hörken and Fredriksberg was built. Strömsdal became a central hub for the railway, and a railway workshop with a foundry and locomotive sheds was established, followed later by a sawmill.
With the railway, iron production advanced even further, and the population increased from 22 to 250. But by 1909, it was all over. The blast furnace was shut down for good. The workers found employment in the forest instead, as the pulp industry in Fredriksberg and the sawmill in Hällefors needed timber.
The railway was also eventually shut down. Freight traffic ceased definitively in 1945. However, the locomotive *Sebastian Grave* can still be seen at the Locomotive Museum in Grängesberg.
Strömsdal’s Heritage Society >
FACTS
Pig iron from Strömsdal’s blast furnace was turned into bar iron at Gravendal’s hammer forge.
The village still has the blast furnace ruins, dam system, small smithy, manor house, and *Dagkarlsstugan*, a lodging house for day laborers working at the furnace. This house is now used by Strömsdal’s Heritage Society, which operates a summer café and exhibitions.
There are cycling and hiking trails.
In July, *Strömsdal Day* is held during *Säfsen Week*.
Toppbild + små bilder: Per Stymne
