The areas east and south of the slag heaps are old grazing lands known as ‘grashagaer’. These were open areas where reindeer could be kept when the herds were moved to the mining town in winter. The herds were moved here for trading in both meat and hide, and livestock.

The German Edouard Romeo Vargas Bedemar [1768–1847] visited Norway and Røros several times in the years 1810 to 1814. He wrote that reindeer herds were taken to Røros and that reindeer were slaughtered here, probably for trade and a means of supplementing the food supply for the inhabitants of the mining town. The fact that reindeer were slaughtered here may indicate that every part of the reindeer was sold, both meat, offal, hide, bone and antlers. These were sought-after goods for getting by in a place like Røros. Vargas Bedemar even claimed that reindeer meat was the winter staple for the people of Røros and nearby areas. Trade was also a source of income for the Sámi families.

Petrus Danielsen [1895–1980] also recounts such a practice – over a century later. He explains how they led the reindeer herd to Skardet, just south of the mining town. From there, they brought smaller reindeer herds to Gjøsvika, an area just outside the town, where animals were selected for slaughter and sale. The fact that the reindeer were brought to Røros was naturally labour-saving.

Røros was probably also a hub for trade in reindeer livestock. This trade was often with domestic reindeer companies in Southern Norway. The Sámi led their reindeer herds to Røros and met buyers from Southern Norway here. From time to time, the Sámi reindeer herders were hired to bring the herd to its destination, which could be far away. This kind of reindeer transport took place during winter, and the herders skied behind the herd, assisted by sheep dogs. After the railway came to Røros in 1877, reindeer herds would occasionally be brought to Røros and then loaded on to railway carriages for further transport.