Selfors

Selfors is an urban district, 4 km east of Mo i Rana, Rana municipality, county of Nordland, Norway. The European route E6 passes through the district. Selfors has been inhabited since the Iron age.

The name

The place name Selfors was mentioned in 1430. It has been interpreted as «Sel-foss» (Norwegian: «the pinniped waterfall»), a waterfall where pinnipeds lived. It also has been connected with the Sami word "saelhtie" (ocean). ["Registrering av samiske kulturminner i Rana og Hemnes", Årbok for Rana 1987, Rana Museums og Historielag, Rana Blads Trykkeri, ISSN|0333-0443, page 91.]

The interpretation «Sel-foss» is doubtful. In the old dialect of Rana they never used the name «sel» about pinnipeds, but «købbe». "Kobbforsen" («Købbforsen»), which literarily means «the pinniped waterfall», is located another place in Rana municipality.

The name can also be seen in connection with "sele" («silent flowing and deep water»), cf. the Swedish placenames of Lycksele, Sorsele and Åsele. Selfors may then mean «a waterfall in a river with silent flowing, deep water». The waterfall is located at Fossetangen, and the «silent flowing, deep water» is Ranelva.

Description

The local division of "Helgeland Hospital" in Rana, is located on Selfors. Two kindergartens, a primary school and school with secondary classes, are also parts of the infrastructure of the urban district. In connection with the upbuilding of the iron and metal industry company "Norsk Jernverk" in 1946, Selfors Church was built for catholics in 1971 in glass and three with 200 sitting places. It is, however, also used by the Church of Norway.

In addition, Selfors has a grocery store, which is also running the local post office, a flower shop, a store for hunting, fishing and outdoor life, a petrol station and an inn / public house along European route E6.

There are six housing cooperatives on Selfors, owned by "Mo og Omegn Boligbyggelag".

Selfors bridge connects the urban district with Mo i Rana. The first bridge on Selfors was built in 1914. On May 18, 1940, it was blown up by the resistance in order to slow down the northward advance of the German occupation forces. It was, however, quickly rebuilt, and was used until it was torn down on March 17 1965. A new bridge was then built, and is still in use today.

Before the opening of the new bridge between "Mjølan" and "Ytteren", Selfors bridge was the only road communication between Mo i Rana and the two urban districts "Ytteren" and Båsmoen.

The hillsides and mountains on Selfors is a popular terrain for outdoor activities. "Varmosletta", "Skarvatnet" and "Kvitbergan" («the white cliffs») are located in untouched nature.

History

elfors farm 1430−1680

Selfors farm [Anders Frøholm: "Rana Bygdebok, Mo Prestegjeld Gardshistorie", bind 3, Mo Sparebank, 1964, pp. 333-334.] is one of the oldests farms in North-Rana and played a central role on the place until 1680. The farm was located at Ranelva on the western parts of Selfors, near Ranfjorden and Fossetangen.

Selfors farm is mentioned in «the farm book of Aslak Bolt» from 1430, written by Aslak Harniktsson Bolt (ca 1380−1449), archbishop of Nidaros. Aslak Bolt wrote: "«af selfosse 1/2 spann»" ["Aslak Bolts Jordebog", utgitt av P.A. Munch, Christiania, 1852.] Selfors thus paid 1/2 bucket of butter to the archbishop in the diocese of Nidaros.

In the 1600s Selfors farm belonged to Hemnes church.

The Leidang census during the years 1566−1567 doesn't mention the farm. It had probably not ceased to exist, but was rather forgotten, since the farmer during the census in 1610 was registered as a sailor and in 1612 as a bailiff.

Image gallery

Kvitbergan (november 2005)

References