Verkhoshizhemye

Verkhoshizhemye grew beside the Shizhma on the road between Yaransk and Khlynov. In 1683 a village belonging to the bishop's estate was established here with a wooden Church of Elijah. A census in 1710 recorded twelve outlying settlements with twenty-eight households. Later wooden churches were followed by a stone Trinity Church, begun in 1787. Local occupations included farming, postal carriage and crafts such as shoemaking and baking, as well as the production of fir oil.