The Quiet Flow of Jouttenoinen Carries the Centuries-Old Stories of Ojakylä…

In Temmes’ Ojakylä, a deep and at times wide riverbed still traces the path of Jouttenoinen, flowing into the Temmes River. The once-mighty current has slowed, but water still courses through the channel. In spring, the river babbles and rushes with renewed life, while during floods, it spreads widely across the riverbed’s natural pools.

The banks of Jouttenoinen have witnessed a long history of settlement, with Stone Age artifacts discovered in the area. In earlier times, one of the three homesteads of the Mankinen brothers was moved across the river. According to local lore, the relocated site was first called Prokko (later Korkala); the name shifted again as the dwelling moved slightly, eventually becoming Perälä. In 2022, Torsti Aaltokangas unearthed coins and artifacts dating back to the 1700s and 1800s on the fields of present-day Perälä. Nearby, the old crossing once connected the Mankinen family estates.

Locally, Jouttenoinen has long been called Sorkkaoja, likely because, as settlement expanded, the riverbanks served as grazing land for livestock. Over centuries, the bridge carried people to fields and neighbors, as well as to nearby parishes and far-off lands. It connected people, homes, and the river landscape itself.

During the construction of Ojakyläntie around 1970, the crossing of Jouttenoinen was moved slightly downstream. In a 1965 road plan, the bridge was named Joutsenoja Bridge. The new bridge was a simple wooden beam structure with a 12-ton load capacity. Twenty-five years later, it was replaced with a steel pipe bridge, which in turn reached the end of its life and was replaced with a brand-new pipe bridge in 2022.