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Dedication
This website is dedicated to my Norwegian ancestors who lived at Mostad on Værøy as well as their relatives on Værøy and Røst. The purpose of this website is to educate and inform the descendants of the people who emigrated from Mostad to build their new lives in North America. Let this website be the catalyst for finding answers to unexplored questions about Mostad.
Mostad
Mostad is an ancient and abandoned small fishing village, above the Arctic Circle, on the southern part of the island of Værøy in Norway. The settlement is set on a narrow strip of habitable land, sandwiched between a boulder beach and the ocean on the front side, and a steep mountain wall on the back side. It existed during Viking times and Norwegian census records show it had historic populations of 17 in the year 1765 and a robust 144 in the year 1910. The downfall of the village is due primarily to the motorization of the fishing fleet. The modernized Nordland-type fishing boats became heavier and had to have their draught increased. Heavier and deeper, the fishing boats were no longer able to come ashore at Mostad as they had done for centuries. Boats were therefore kept in the local harbour on another part of the island. People moved away to be closer to their boats and in many instances they took their houses with them. In 1974 Mostad became abandoned.
Lundehund
Mostad is home of Norway's most rare and specialized breed of dog, the Norwegian Lundehund or puffin dog. This unique dog breed has six fully developed toes, compared to the normal four, allowing it to easily traverse over steep and rocky terrain. The Lundehund was used exclusively for the hunting of puffins, which was an important source of food and income for the villagers. Historical accounts describe the dog as far back as the year 1591 and the breed undoubtedly existed in much earlier times. The isolation of Værøy and the continuation of the traditional puffin hunt at Mostad into the 20th century, contributed to the survival of the breed in the modern era. After World War II, the Lundehund was challenged with much adversity and became almost extinct. However with the diligence of a few dedicated individuals, the dog breed was revived and is doing well today. The Lundehund is also known as the Mostadhund or Mostad dog.
Værøy
Værøy municipality has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 square miles) and 738 inhabitants (2009). The nearest populated centre is Bodø, located 82 kilometres (51 miles) Southeast on the mainland coast. The 20-minute helicopter ride from Værøy to Bodø is the world’s most northern regular helicopter service. The ferry when travelling direct from Værøy to Bodø, takes 4 hours. This is Norway’s longest highway ferry route.
Genealogy
genealogy = generation + knowledge
The Norwegian equivalent to genealogy is slektsgranskning. If we break the Norwegian word into its components of slekt + granskning, the English translation will be:genealogy = family + investigation
Preserving one's family history is a rewarding task that will benefit future generations. Too often when someone dies, so dies his or her family knowledge and memories. You have the power to prevent this by writing your story. Take the time to create a legacy for your future descendants.Invitation
Do you have a story?
If you have a story online that would be relevant to this website, let me link to it.
If you would like to write a story for this website, it can be posted on mostad.org.
If you are interested, please contact me.
Wikipedia Links
Mostad Værøy Røst Moskenstraumen Norwegian Lundehund Lofoten Mosken Nordland Atlantic Puffin Værøy Old Church Atlantic Cod Stockfish Pietro Querini Norwegian Current Nordland Boat A Descent into the Maelström© Copyright 2012 mostad.org