The story
The name Hankasalmi was first mentioned in 1552 when it was a wilderness owned by the Tavastians of Hauho. The settlement has existed at least since 1559. In 1561, it was transferred to the new Rautalampi parish, which was largely settled by Savonians.
Hankasalmi became an independent parish in 1802, but administratively it remained a part of Rautalampi until 1872, when the modern Hankasalmi municipality was formed. Parts of it were also taken from Pieksämäki, Kangasniemi and Laukaa.
From Wikipedia’s article on Hankasalmi, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4