Soknedal (municipality)

Soknedal is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The 440 km2 municipality existed from 1841 until its dissolution in 1964. It is located in the western part of what is now the municipality of Midtre Gauldal in Trøndelag county. The administrative center of the municipality was the village of Soknedal, where the Soknedal Church is located. The municipality was named after the Soknedal valley in which it is located. The valley is named after the river Sokna which runs through the valley.

History
The municipality of Soknedal was established in 1841 when the old municipality of Støren was split into three separate municipalities: Horg (in the north), Støren (in the central part), and Soknedal (in the southwest). Initially, Soknedal had 1,966 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Budal (population: 529), Singsås (population: 1,554), Soknedal (population: 1,916), and Støren (population: 2,296) were all merged to form the new municipality of Midtre Gauldal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named Soknedal (Sóknardalr) after the valley in which it is located. The first element comes from the name of the river Sokna which flows through the valley. The river name comes from the word which means "to suck" or "to attack", likely referring to the rough waters of the river. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Soknedalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Soknedal, removing the definite form ending -en.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Soknedal was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors of Soknedal:


 * 1840–1841: Anfind Olsen Ertshus
 * 1842–1843: Jens Sivertsen Hov
 * 1844–1845: Anders Olsen Ertshus
 * 1846–1847: Endre Arntsen Bræk
 * 1848–1851: Jens Sivertsen Hov
 * 1852–1855: Anders Olsen Ertshus
 * 1856–1859: Endre Arntsen Bræk
 * 1860–1863: Anfind Olsen Ertshus
 * 1864–1865: Ole Ingebrigtsen Reitan
 * 1866–1869: Erik Haldosen Aasenhus
 * 1870–1877: Ole Ingebrigtsen Reitan
 * 1878–1881: Nils Olsen Garli
 * 1882–1885: Ole Ingebrigtsen Reitan (H)
 * 1886–1889: Ole Anfindsen Ertshus
 * 1890–1898: Ole Ingebrigtsen Reitan (H)
 * 1899–1904: Ole Johnsen Østhus (V)
 * 1905–1907: Ole Johnsen Aasenhus (H)
 * 1908–1910: Arnt Estensen Solberg (V)
 * 1911–1922: Ole Johnsen Østhus (V)
 * 1923–1925: Jens Olsen Ertshus (Bp)
 * 1926–1928: Ole Olsen Bjørnli (V)
 * 1929–1931: Andreas Olsen Ertshus (Bp)
 * 1932–1934: Ole Olsen Bjørnli (V)
 * 1935–1937: Sivert Hansen Berg (Bp)
 * 1938–1940: Nils Johnsen Fossum (Bp)
 * 1941–1945: Sivert Hansen Berg (NS)
 * 1946–1951: Nils Kristian Vagnild (Bp)
 * 1952–1955: Nils Johnsen Fossum (Bp)
 * 1956–1959: Ottar Hov (Bp)
 * 1960–1963: Ola J. Ertshus (Sp)