Soot Canal

The Soot Canal (Sootkanalen) was a canal system located in Eidskog Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Constructed in 1849, it has Norway's oldest sluice gates. It was the work of Engebret Soot (1786-1859). It was built to allow timber to be transported (floated) to the Halden sawmills. The canal was 1.5 km long and had 16 locks which extended from Lake Skjervangen at an elevation of 185 m above sea level up to Lake Mortsjølungen at 201 m above sea level.

The Soot Canal was in operation from 1849 to 1932. The channel consisted of the original 16 locks between Skjervangen and Mortskjølungen. The Grasmobanen, a 1460 m long railroad that hauled the timber between the lakes Mortsjølungen and Tvillingtjern, was also part of the canal system. In 1987, the municipality of Eidskog acquired rights to the countercurrent sluice system and labeled it a landmark attraction.