Regional Museum of Northern Priladozhie (Sortavala, Republic of Karelia):

Borisov I. V., Head of Excursion and Touristic Department, Candidate of Geographic Sciences

As early as at the beginning of the XIX century, peasants extracted the iron ore (hematite) in Tulomozero Dacha of Olenets Gubernia for its selling to iron-smelting plants in Petrozavodsk and Konchezero. Geological prospecting of Tulomozero iron ore deposit was started in 1838 and was continued by different companies in 1862-1872. The «Severnoe obshchestvo» (Northern Community) was formed in 1873, for the purpose of deposit development. In 1880-s, this community was reorganized into the joint-stock company «Stal» (Steel). Extraction of hematite ore was carried out in 10 mines by trenches, ditches, rather shallow mines and adits. Tulomozero iron-smelting plant was set in exploitation anigh the mines by the joint-stock company «Stal» in 1899. This plant had been functioning until 1903. The largest mines - «Rogoselka» and «Rekunselga» - were connected with the plant by railways. Geological prospecting of Tulomozero deposit was continued by Soviet geologists in 1929-1932. In 1930-s, there was aimed to revive the laid-up iron-smelting plant and dead pits. In 1994, the ruins of Tulomozero plant were announced as a monument of Karelia mining. Nowadays, the mine park is created on the basis of these ruins.

1. Olonetskie gubernskie vedomosti — Olonets gubernia bulletin, 1851, No. 32.
2. Kratkiy ocherk istorii osvoeniya rudnykh zalezhey Tulomozerskoy Dachi (Brief essays of the history of mastering of ore deposits of Tulomozero Dacha). Natsionalnyy arkhiv Respubliki Kareliya (National archive of Republic of Karelia). 1952, Unit of storage 4927.
3. Kulibin N. A. O mestorozhdeniyakh zheleznykh rud v krestyanskom nadele Tulomozerskoy Dachi Olonetskoy gubernii Olonetskogo uezda (About iron ore deposits in peasant holding of Tulomozero Dacha of Olonets Gubernia (Olonets Uyezd)). Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal, 1872, No. 11, 12.
4. Shepovalnikov A. Materialy k izucheniyu rudnykh mestorozhdeniy Tulomozerskoy dachi Olonetskoy gubernii (Materials to the study of ore deposits of Tulomozero Dacha of Olonets Gubernia). Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal, 1901, Vol. 1, Book 1.
5. Borisov I. V., Gribushin A. I. Nauchnaya spravka «Tulomozerskie rudniki i zavody» (Scientific information «Tulomozero mines and plants»). Arkhiv Rossiyskogo Mezhregionalnogo soyuza pisateley (Archive of Russian Inter-regional Writers Guild). Sortvala, 2005, D. 523.
6. Zhelubovskiy Yu. S. Geologiya i poleznye iskopaemye Tulomozersko-Sovdozerskogo rayona Yugo-Zapadnoy Karelii (Geology and minerals of Tulomozero-Sovdozero region of South-West Karelia). Petrozavodsk, 1937.