Background
Sætren was born in Elverum as the son of farmer Carsten Sæthren and Kari Nordby.
Sætren was born in Elverum as the son of farmer Carsten Sæthren and Kari Nordby.
Sætren studied at Lillehammer Latinog Realskole, at Qvams skole in Christiania and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich from 1862 to 1865.
He was an important figure at Kanalvæsenet for more than forty years, and made several contributions to the exploitation of Norwegian water resources. In 1866 he started working as a draftsman for Kanalvæsenet, the body for exploitation of Norwegian water resources, and held various positions at Kanalvæsenet over a period of 41 years. He ended his career as manager for the Bandak-Norsjø Canal from 1891 to 1907.
The boat locks of the Bandak-Norsjø Canal could lift boats with a length of up to 100 feet.
The canal became an important water transport system, and also a tourist destination. Sætren published maps and overviews of water resources in Norway, such as his map Hydrografisk kart over det sydlige Norge from 1904.
He was the first editor of the magazine Norsk Teknisk Tidsskrift, which he edited from 1883 to 1886. He was also a proponent for the construction of the Holmenkoll Lincolnshire, and chaired the board of directors for ten years from 1896.
