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Kaldorsetra

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In the Øyer-mountains, between Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen, there is a small valley called Åstdalen, named after the river Åsta flowing through it. A part of this area is called Kaldorsetra. The story behind this name goes as follows:

In the 18th century the Kaldor Farm had its summer farm at Nysetra (where it still is). This area does not provide access to the rich grazing lands of the Øyer-mountains, and was therefore considered less attractive.

The owner of Kaldor at this time, Torgier Guttormsen Kaldor, set his mind on an area in Åstdalen, where the farm had some minor rights to haymaking (slåtteretter).

Åstdalen is a rich area with attractive grazing, and is situated in the border area between the communities of Øyer, Lillehammer, Ringsaker and Stor-Elvdal. As a result the use of the area has always been disputed, not only by the farmers of Øyer, but also by farmers from the other communities.

Together with the neighboring farm of Grimsrud, Torgier Kaldor built a summer farm in Åstdalen in 1775/76, naming it Kaldorsetra. This was not well received by the larger farms in Øyer, and especially not by the farmer of Jevne, who also happened to be the vassal (lensmann) and magistrate (sorenskriver) of Øyer. A lawsuit was raised against the farmers of Kaldor and Grimsrud, contesting their right to establish the summer farm.

Also the buildings at the summer farm were set afire, and other strange happenings occurred. At this point of time the farmer of Grimsrud gave up, his farm was sold and he himself became a cotter (husmann).

Torgier Kaldor won the lawsuit raised against him in 1786. But the story does not have a happy ending. In order to finance the lawsuit he had to mortgage the farm and the summer farm at Kaldorsetra to the owners of the Skredshol and Skjønsby farms in Ringsaker. In 1787 they demand their loan back, Torgier can’t pay and has to give up his property. The summer farm at Kaldorsetra was taken over by the two Ringsaker-farms, and the Kaldor Farm was sold.

Torgier Kaldor died in 1804 at the age of 57. The last male member of this family, who owned the Kaldor Farm for nearly two centuries, the last Guttorm Kaldor, died as a pauper around 1850.

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