elgsnes has been inhabited from the early stone age, at least 10,000 years ago. many finds have been made in and around the village. some of the finds come from the neolithic period (5000 – 2000 b.c.), but from the bronze age (2000 – 0 b.c.) there is little left from the two big cairns. a woman's grave from the merovingian period (600 – 800 a.d.) was richly equipped, including jewelry from the baltic region and karelia. a blacksmith's grave from the viking age (800 - 1.050 a.d.) was, when it was opened in the 1950s, considered to be the fourth richest of its kind in scandinavia. the trade station down at raten has a history dating back to 1675. at its peak there were 23 houses at the promontory, including the main building from 1723. in 1798, the trade station got a royal license as a guesthouse, so the use of the building for overnight guests started more than 200 years ago. as harstad developed as a trade center, the trade in elgsnes declined, and in 1914 it came to an end. the houses were sold off, so today only the main building is left from the old trade station houses.