The Traveller’s Cross is marked in the terrain as a restricted area. Photo: Joni Korhonen.
Just near the Kainuu Orienteering Week competition centre, close to the hiking trail that circles Syväjärvensärkkä, there is a cross made of stones laid on the ground. It is called the Traveller’s Cross, and according to local stories, it was made by a traveler who rested at the site. The little-known cross is surrounded by larger stones on the edges and smaller stones in the centre.
In the Säynäjä area, many other ancient sites over a hundred years old have also been studied, such as reindeer hunting pits, tar kilns, and marker trees. Marks on the trees were traditionally used to indicate paths and routes. These findings tell the story of how the area was utilized both as a transit route and for hunting, fishing, and tar production.
According to information provided by local residents to the Kainuu Museum, soldiers traveled along the Syväjärvensärkkä ridge from Alanne to Jumaliskylä during the Swedish rule. Russian peddlers also used this route.
The Alanne homestead, located nearby, was one of the oldest settlements in the Suomussalmi area. According to local accounts, this fourth-oldest homestead in the parish has been inhabited continuously since the early 1600s. Situated along a waterway and travel route, it served as an important lodging and resting place. Visitors included Karelian peddlers as well as notable figures like Elias Lönnrot.
In the 18th century, soldiers were stationed at the homestead, and there was a dedicated building on the property for them. According to oral history, battles also took place at Murhiniemi near the homestead during the Great Wrath and Lesser Wrath.
The old Alanne house, built at the end of the 18th century, has been moved to serve as the main building of the Suomussalmi House Museum. In addition to the local history museum, visitors can explore history from a military perspective, for example, at Raatteentie. Welcome to discover the local history during Kainuu Orienteering Week!
