Gråtesk

Gråträsk lies among lakes between the Pite coast and the mountains of Lapland. Sámi people hunted and fished here, and coastal farmers also came to fish in the lakes. The first farmer known to settle in the district arrived from Byske in the 1560s. Its position between coast and mountains made Gråträsk a meeting place for trade as well as fishing.

After silver was discovered at Nasafjäll in 1634, a route called Kristinavägen was laid out between the mine and Piteå. It passed through Gråträsk, where both farmers and Sámi worked in transport and for the mining company. A small timber chapel served local inhabitants and travellers on the road. The mine was difficult to supply and never very profitable, but for a time it made the village an important stopping place on the way inland.