The village was initially known as Paadentaipale; the first mentions of the current name come from are from the 16th century .

The opening of the railroad in 1898 industrialized Suolahti and increased the waterborne traffic on Keitele, for which Suolahti provided a railway harbour at its south end.

The same year, a steam-mill started operating which was soon followed by other industrial facilities.

This sped up population growth and urban development.

This Western Finland location article is a stub.