Mela was used as a mill to enable the Almo/Mollandgrenda to make flour from its own grain. The Almo farms had a watermill by the Kvennhusfossen waterfall at the north side of the river on the Haugen property, about 200 m above the Fibrua bridge. Traces of this mill can still be found, and the millstone now serves as a table at Framgarden.
The administration document for the Almo farms, dated September 1830, states that the property was assigned to Helge Thørrsien’s farm (Sørhaugen) from the south side of Mela, which starts just above the Mollan Mill house dam, at a pine tree that bears an inked cross. It is unlikely that this pine tree is still standing today, but at the time, it marked the boundary between Vestgården and Sørhaugen. It is interesting to note that all four farmers signed the administration document MPP (indicating an authorised signature by someone who cannot read or write).
Long ago, a large part of the route from Almo and Mollan to the town centre went through Sørbygda. Earlier there was a bridge below Gåsmoen, and the road continued through Skavlandmarka just below the Pemoen homestead. The Almo farms were located partly on the south side of Mela, and a bridge was built over to Mela. The first bridge, called Fæbroen, was built in 1833. Later the name changed to Fibrua. In the 1950s, Eilert Vedal built a bridge over the river by Sagdammen. Timber was transported across the bridge by horse and wagon, and later by tractor.
This bridge is now gone. Olaf Fossum, who had a summer farm in Søyringan, left his boundary mark between Vestgarden and Sørhaugen, on the south side of the river up a bridge. The last bridge built in the 1940s, named Olafbrua, is also gone. The Snåsa sports club built a bridge above the waterfall down in Gyllestønna. This was constructed for the Sørfjellrennet ski race. The bridge was taken by floods several times and was not rebuilt a third time.
Mela is the name of the river from Movatnet to Storåselva. It is normal for rivers to be named after the lake (tarn) they flow from. Compare Kovasselva, Øydingselva,
Seisjøelva, etc. One would therefore expect Mela to be called Movasselva.
Parish priest Svend Busk Brun wrote about Mela in “Om Sneaasen” in 1817, but used Molvatnet for Movatnet. There is no known local discussion about the name of the river, but for those who have lived a long life with the river as a neighbor, one feels it bears the name rightly.
The river flows in waterfalls and rapids, with the exception of a small calm section in Storflya and Gyllestjønna, all the way from Movatnet to Storåselvar, and it always makes a sound. A strong sound when it floods
and a weaker sound with less water flow. But it always makes a sound; it “mela” (grinds/mills) all the time.
Mela has for a long time been important for business and the basis for livelihood in this area. Mela was central to being able to utilize the values in the forests between Tjurudalen and Storåselva. A number of timber floating dams were built in the catchment area, partly to get
the timber down side rivers to Mela, but also to assist with floating in the main river, Mela. The largest dam was probably Movassdammen. It was both long and high. Kovassdammen was also important. Kovatnet is large, and with a full dam here, there was plenty of water for floating
downstream. There were also dams in Tortbakktjønna, Raukolla, and Skavlanfiskløysa. The latter was short-lived and was a small temporary dam.
Timber floating was hectic and strenuous, and partly dangerous. Several people fell into the waterfall from Movatnet down to Storflya.
It is not certain when timber floating in Mela ended. The dams deteriorated, and ordinary timber floating probably ceased in the early 1930s. Timber was floated in Mela until approximately the mid-1950s, but then without dam water, and it was only timber that reached the river below Fibrua.
There have been at least 2 water-powered sawmills in Mela. In the early 1800s, it was an economic golden age for plank sales, and a number of sawmills appeared around Snåsa.
Most of the sawmills in Snåsa were export sawmills. In 1795, the cutting quota for privileged sawmills was freed, and they could cut as much as they wanted. Most of these sawmills were owned by wealthy people from outside the district. In 1805, Skavlan export sawmill was built. I do not know who built the sawmill, but already in 1808, the sawmill was taken over by proprietor D.A. Gram at Vibe. After a few years of operation, Gram found that it was more economical to float the timber to By and cut it there.
Skavlan Sawmill was then taken over by Gåsmoen and Bøkset. Johannes Fossum has stated that this sawmill was in use in 1934, when a new outbuilding was built at Bøkset.
The Almo farms had a sawmill below Sagdammen. The sawmill was on the north side of the river, on Plassen’s land today. This sawmill was in use until the early 1930s. The transport of sawn timber went down along the river to Grubba below Plassen.
Mela power plant is located at Mela in Snåsa municipality in Nord-Trøndelag. The power plant is
designed with an intake dam in Movatnet, which can be regulated by 0.99 meters.
Movatnet is located 359.05 meters above sea level. The waterway has a total length of approximately 3100 meters with buried pipes. The power station is built at elevation 100 and is designed as a standard superstructure in the well-known Småkraft style.
