Riså canal

Log-driving canal between Risån, the most northern affluent of Rickleån, and Lillån, the most southern affluent of Bureälven.

History:
In 1851 the government granted permission for the owner of Bureå sawmills owner to build a canal between Risån and Lillån for log-driving. He got the right to drive timber six or at most eight days every year.
The same day the goverment granted the people in Innansjö the permission to built a dam by Risåtjärn for log-driving and to transform swamps and peat moss to prosperous meadows.
The canal was dug by hand and was 1 700 meters.
The importance of the canal was great. Both for the farmers in the area and for the Bureå sawmill, that got most if it's timber through the canal.
In 1914 the canal was declared public floating channel and in 1918 the Risådam was rebuilt with a lock for timber.
The great importance of the dam for the peasants was that they dammed Risån so that water flooded the neighbouring meadows. This gave nourishment for the grass that grow kneehigh here and gave forage for the long winters.
The last floating through the canal was made in 1928. Then the railroad took the timber transports.
Slåttern at this land was stoped by the end of the 1940ies. During a number of years the people had not been doing the water filtering properly which made the quality of the forage too bad.
There has never been any boat traffic on the canal as far as I know.
Nowadays the canal is rather overgrown and it contains no water, but you can still see it.

Three different views of the canal


By the old barn a sign shows the way to the canal	Among the birches you can see the old canal	Grass grows in the old canal

Sources: Gunda Lundström, "Innansjön med omnejd 1539 - 1999" (according to information by the canal). Emmanuel Johnsson, by phone 2001.
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