[2] [3][4][5] In 1859, he relocated from Fredrikstad in Østfold where he had sawmill operations and settled in Trondheim.
In 1867, Wilhelm Thams built a sawmill and established a small port which became known as Thamshavn on a side inlet of Trondheimsfjord.
Thams built a large company and bought forested properties within the Orkdalen valley in Sør-Trøndelag.
In 1868, in cooperation with ship owner Christian Salvesen, he established the Ørkedals Mining Company to develop mining interest in the area around Løkken in Meldal Municipality.
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