Patokoski on the Ounasjoki: River Landscape and History

Patokoski is an old settlement on the Ounasjoki, with stories ranging from Stone Age hunters and fishers to reindeer herding. The river landscape, archaeological traces and the history of Poro-Pekan Pirtti give the place different facets. The season also shapes the activities available: there are opportunities for fishing in summer and skiing in winter.

River landscapes and seasonal experiences

Patokoski is one of the villages on the Ounasjoki in a tourism area around Rovaniemi that has been designated regionally significant. Patovaara, with its river landscape, is one of the local landscape features. Patovaara is one of the special places for outdoor recreation, nature-based recreation and local and regional tourism. The river and nature are therefore not only landscape features, but also part of the place’s described recreational and tourism character.

Two activities stand out when planning for the seasons: Patokoski offers opportunities for fishing in summer and skiing in winter. In winter, an ice road is also built across the Ounasjoki, providing access to the opposite riverbank. It is a route across the river; the skiing opportunities mentioned are a separate activity. This information provides a concrete seasonal framework without combining the different experiences into a single offering.

Traces of early settlement

The name Patokoski derives from catching salmon with a fish trap. The first written references to permanent settlement date from the 16th century. Finds also show that hunters and fishers were already present in Patokoski during the Stone Age. The history of the place therefore goes back further than the first written evidence of permanent settlement.

Quartz flakes were found at Patokoski 1, on the north bank of Patokoski, in sandy pine forest terrain. They point to a Stone Age settlement site. This find connects a specific location and type of terrain with evidence of early settlement. The finds also relate to evidence that hunters and fishers were in Patokoski as early as the Stone Age; however, they are from a separate find site.

The Patokoski 2 archaeological monument consists of a stone mound and a stone wall. It lies southwest of Patokoski, on the south or southeast bank of the Meltausjoki. A path leads there from a car park south of the bridge over the Meltauskoski. By contrast, quartz flakes were found at Patokoski 1.

Poro-Pekan Pirtti and the reindeer herding tradition

The history of the Poro-Pekan Pirtti reindeer farm dates back to the 19th century. Its old main house is in Patokoski, near the Ounasjoki. The main house and accommodation buildings are located on the same farmstead, in an area designated as a traditional landscape of cultural-historical importance. The building stock is also particularly well preserved in the Jääskö–Meltaus–Patokoski section. The cultural-historical significance therefore extends from one old house to a larger landscape area.

Poro-Pekan Pirtti offers activities year-round. During a visit to the reindeer farm, visitors learn about the history of the house, reindeer herding and the lives of the reindeer. The visit includes a short reindeer-sleigh ride through a small patch of forest near the reindeer enclosure. For families interested in animals and the history of the place, these topics offer different things to talk about, from the lives of the reindeer to the long history of the house.

When planning your visit, note that the old main house is generally open by appointment only. Activities are offered year-round; however, this does not mean that a specific date or fixed programme is available for individual visiting days. If you are particularly interested in the history of the house, take its limited opening arrangements into account when planning your visit.

More destinations

If you’d like to discover more destinations, you can also find Kemijärvi, Kemi, Napapiiri, Pello, Peurasuvanto, Kilpisjärvi, Sinettä and Simo here.

For the overview of the wider region, see Lapland.