His brother Finn Devold (1902–1977) shared his vision and helped to establish a Norwegian station at Finnsbu, SE Greenland.

With Hallvard's inspiration, based on his experiences in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, the movement began to build a network of Norwegian trapping stations, combined with surveys and explorations of the almost uninhabited area.

Expedition vessels also supplied the trapping stations with equipment financed by the Arctic Trading Co. (Arktisk Næringsdrift), a company that Hallvard had helped to set up and was the CEO of.

By 1932 about 80 cabins manned by Norwegian trappers and fishermen were built in different areas of East Greenland, including some in the distant King Frederick VI Coast and Storfjord Station in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord.

[4] In 1932 Norway staked sovereignty claims in areas of Northeast and Southeast Greenland where Norwegian stations had been built.

The venture, however, was a failure and ended dramatically when all their supplies and sled dogs were unloaded on an ice floe that broke up almost immediately and began to drift.