Länttäpatti forest ranger farm

Loukkukoskentie Halsua

Forest rangers usually lived in crofts owned by the state, for which they did not pay any taxes. They were granted hunting and fishing rights as well as the right to collect waste wood for heating. The rangers were also expected to take good care of their living environment, the croft and the farmland. Since the early 1900s, forest rangers could purchase their crown crofts at a low price and make them independent farms. In Halsua, the forest ranger Juho Ojala bought his croft in 1938, after which the farm provided a living also for his descendants for a long time.

Stories

Chief foresters would perform regular inspections on the forest ranger crofts. In July 1911, a chief forester came to inspect the Länttäpatti croft. He arrived together with two executing officials, a senior juror and a crofter. The occupant of the croft, Juho Ojala, was also present. First, it was recorded that the executing officials were not biased for the task. Furthermore, the record states that the Crown had established the croft and the Imperial Diet had named it as a ranger’s official residence in November 1867. The record also mentions the building grant of the croft, which had been 800 Finnish marks in the year of its establishment. The croft’s rangers preceding Juho Ojala were mentioned in the record as well.