The gold of Tankavaara was discovered in a dream

In the dream of Aleksanteri Peltovuoma from Purnumukka, an old man with white beard showed him the place where to dig for gold. It was the summer of 1934. Crippled as Aslak was, he sent his nephew to search for the place. While the boy found no gold, Sauva-Aslak went himself to the foot of Tankavaara hill and returned with a bag full of coarse nuggets. The gold of Tankavaara was discovered.

Aleksanteri ”Sauva-Aslak” Peltovuoma was born in 1892 in a Lapp village of Purnumukka. Aslak made his living as a smith and a joiner. He was known as a man who willingly helped all his neighbours whenever needed. He injured his foot in a hunting accident and could no longer walk without crutches. Nevertheless, he continued his hunting trips. Aslak Peltovuoma ended his career as a prospector in Sotajoki in early 1960s.

Tankavaara, the bank of Purnumukka

In 1935 the villagers of Purnumukka peacefully shared the gold of the creek among themselves. Not until the gold discovery was made public by filing a claim license, other prospectors arrived in Tankavaara. That was the beginning of conflicts and disputes.

When Aslak’s gold dream turned out to be true, men of Purnumukka went prospecting. Especially those, who had not enough of reindeers for decent livelihood. Villagers did not share the information of the gold. Therefore, Tankavaara was later called the bank of Purnumukka. During the years of economic depression gold was welcomed as a source of additional wealth.

In 1936 outsiders came to stake their claims and it gave rise to disputes. Legal actions were taken, claim posts were moved or removed. One of the outsides, Werner Thiede from Germany, was expelled from Finland in August 1939. The official reason for this action was the mining law, which did not allow foreigners to use citizens of Finland as their mediators. Thiede had broken this rule while Jarl Uggla, a Finnish lawyer served as his agent. The threat of war and German state policy were the ghosts on the background.

The biggest nugget of Tankavaara

After the war the ownership of Thiede’s claims was transferred to Max Peronius, the host of Laanila guest house. Later in 1946 he lost his life in a mine explosion on his claim, which is currently known as Hopiaoja. His wife Elina Peronius, together with her sons Jouko and Tauno Virtanen, continued prospecting in Tankavaara. Elina was the first female owner of a gold claim in Finland.

In 1950 the Virtanen brothers found a major nugget of 186.5 grams. The Geological Survey of Finland was interested in this compound nugget of gold and quartz. A special fund granted by the Ministry made Tankavaara a site of scientific research for over a decade. A field base of GTL was established in nearby Vuotso in 1951.