The Swedes considered the mountains to be frightening and dangerous so they did not explore them. When the first ore deposits were discovered in the region, the Swedes attempted to persuade the Sami to prospect for other ores in the mountains, in particular silver. But in general, the Sami did not dare to reveal such information to the Swedes because they did not want to incur the disapproval of their fellow Sami. An ore discovery was likely to result in the Sami being forced into near-slavery, working the mines and transporting the minerals. The Alkavare deposit was an exception. Its existence was revealed to the Swedes by an extremely poor Sami, who became held in disdain by his tribe due to this. The exploitation of the mine began in 1672, but it never rendered any profit and was abandoned in 1702. A few attempts to reopen the mine has been made, but they have not been successful. The ruins of two buildings and a little chapel are visible nearby the site.