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By Fred Bjarnason Victoria, British Columbia, was a very different place when Icelanders began to settle here in 1883 than it is now. The city followed the waterfront along the inner harbour, extending inland only about four or five blocks. The Icelanders began to settle in an area east of the main city known as Spring Ridge, now the neighbour of Fernwood. There were multiple springs in the area that joined into a stream and flowed through Hillside Farm into Rock Bay on Victo

The Alberta government created a two-hour historical walking and driving tour that includes sites in and around Markerville, located southwest of Red Deer, AB. For more details and stories, the PDF document is available to download. 1 Let’s go on a tour! Photo Credit: Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism 1 We start our tour just outside of Markerville. The first stop is, of course, the Stephansson House where Stephan G. Stephansson (1853–1927) wrote most of his publishe

by Shaune Jonasson As we explore the Icelandic settlements in Alberta, one particular area comes to mind. Markerville began as a small community and has remained relatively small over these many years. However, despite its size, it is no less important than any other Icelandic settlement in North America. Its footprint is as impressive today as it ever has been. A small area along the Medicine River in the central-western area of the then North West Territories became hom

Stephan G. Stephansson was an Icelandic-born poet, farmer, and community leader whose life spanned two continents. Born in northern Iceland in 1853, he emigrated to North America in search of a better life. After settling first in Wisconsin and then in North Dakota, he moved to Alberta in 1889. Writing in Icelandic, he became one of the most prolific poets of his time. Photo sourced through the IcelandicRoots.com database. Stefán Guðmundur Guðmundsson (I187678) was born on

by Karen Pytlowany and Shaune Jonasson Icelandic settlements in North America progressed west over the years with many settlers filing homestead grants in Saskatchewan. Fewer came directly from Iceland, whereas numerous settlers arrived from the Argyle district in Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota. Wherever they moved from, the Icelanders sought a better life here. Many of them found what they wanted in Saskatchewan. You can read about the settlement of Saskatchewan here

Icelandic Roots A collection of stories by: Nancy Asmundson Linda Breidfjord Judy Dickson Lois Janusson Yasinko The month of September presents the Saskatchewan settlements in our North America settlement journey. This two-part article is a compilation of four contributing authors remembering their ancestral roots. Part 2 brings you a story of Wynyard, Saskatchewan. Our Samtal host, Judy Thorfinsson Dickson, reflects on growing up in Wynyard and her Icelandic family, but also

by Shaune Jonasson Settling the untamed land of the Canadian prairie, originally known as Assiniboia in the North-West Territories (NWT) before Saskatchewan was a province in 1905, was fulfilled by many ethnicities, including our Icelandic ancestors. Filing for homesteads, then carving out a living in this vast open land was no small feat. Viking courage harmonized with a pioneering spirit; the Icelandic settlers became an important element of Saskatchewan’s tapestry. They le

A collection of stories by: Nancy Asmundson Linda Breidfjord Judy Dickson Lois Janusson Yasinko The month of September profiles the Icelandic settlements in Saskatchewan and its history. Many of us share family roots from here, including four of our Icelandic Roots members. Each of them has taken a different approach; some are very personal, some extol their ancestor’s accomplishments, while others define the genealogy. Although the stories are unique, there are similarities

By Sharron Arksey Photo Credit: The author. Manitoba’s Provincial Trunk Highway 50 begins where it meets the Yellowhead Highway (Provincial Trunk Highway Number16) in the south-central portion of the province. The paved highway stretches north for approximately 50 miles before it makes a turn to the west, ending at McCreary, MB. Its north-south route parallels the western shore of Lake Manitoba. The highway is on a gravel ridge left by the receding of Glacial Lake Agassiz tho

By Sharron Arksey The Icelandic Roots Writers Group contributes to the bi-weekly Rætur Fréttir/Roots News. Keeping with Icelandic Roots settlement stories, this article profiles two sisters who each made significant contributions during their lifetime in Langruth, Manitoba. BIG SISTER – YNGRI SYSTIR Bonnie Bjarnason Photo Credit: Author Elizabeth Hazeltine Polson (I681998) was born in 1893 in Winnipeg, one of ten children born to Águst and Elisabet Pol

by Patty Johnson Patty Johnson and Becky Byerly-Adams were guests on Samtal Hour, a member's only conversation hour normally held bi-weekly that shares all things Icelandic. On Monday, 14 July, they spoke about their roots in the Lundar and Interlake Region east of Lake Manitoba. This article is a transcript from Patty who shared her fond memories and heartfelt reflections of growing up in Lundar. Where is Lundar? Originally the Swan Lake Settlement founded in 1887, Lundar is

By Alfreda Duffy and Patty Johnson Icelandic Roots is exploring the Interlake district along Lake Manitoba during August as part of its North American settlement theme. The lakes and waterways adjacent to fields for raising livestock and farming attracted the Icelandic settlers. Here we look at two of those locations, Lundar and Oak Point. Oak Point, a tiny hamlet, is just over an hour's drive north of Winnipeg on Highway #6. Still heading north for an additional 15–20 minu

by Sunna Olafson Furstenau Continuing the North America Icelandic settlement theme, Sunna addresses the many areas of North Dakota our ancestors called home, even temporarily. Many towns and villages, although mostly abandoned or forgotten, uphold an enduring legacy binding their past to our present. When people think of Icelandic settlements in North Dakota, they usually think of Mountain and Gardar first. Perhaps Akra and Cavalier come to mind as well. But the Icelandic sto

by Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane As we review the settlements in Winnipeg and the New Iceland area, no doubt many of us have reflected on the life our ancestors experienced. But what of our own life in these Icelandic settlement areas? One of our IR volunteers and author, Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane, reflects on her growing up in Winnipeg as a Canadian with Icelandic heritage. Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane There are not too many advantages to being what you might call “pretty old”

By Brian Borgford The following is a series of excerpts from the memoir of Thorsteinn Borgford (I464972), written in 1947 when he was in his 70s. His grandson, Brian, transcribed his typewritten manuscript. Thorsteinn tried to present his story in the third person, but his writing occasionally shifted into the first person. In addition, spelling and other errors that did not impact the meaning of his story remain unchanged. Brian has selected excerpts relevant to our theme

By Gerry Stefanson Gerry Stefanson is a member of the Icelandic Roots Author’s Group, and we are pleased to share his musings through poetry, a craft he has honed in more recent years. Many of Gerry’s poems have been previously published in our Newsletters. He has also published poet “Chap Books” through Spillwords. You can see more of his work, including Passages and Bouleversant HERE. For June, we are profiling the New Iceland area on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba as part of our

By Heather Goodman Lytwyn Join Icelandic Roots Book Club on Thursday June 4 at 7 pm CDT by Zoom. We are featuring Sigfusson’s Roads by Svein Sigfusson, with co-hosts Heather Lytwyn and Alfreda Duffy. Their guest for the evening is the author’s nephew, Brian Sigfusson. More details are available on the IR Event Calendar. Sigfusson’s Roads is an inspiring story demonstrating the outstanding fortitude and skills of a group of men led by courage and determination. The more chall

By Jody Arman-Jones This month Icelandic Roots explores the Icelandic settlements in Minnesota. The challenges faced were similar to many other settlements, but perseverance and hope prevailed. Their legacy lives on. The journey to Minnesota was not an easy one for Icelandic emigrants of the 19th century. As described in They Chose Minnesota, A Survey of the State’s Ethnic Groups, (6) and again by Cathy Josephson in her aptly named presentation, Rails, Trails, Rivers and Tr

By Rob Olason On the April 20, 2026, Samtal Hour, participants learned the latest updates to the Icelandic Rootshús project from Sunna Furstenau, the visionary force behind this ambitious venture. Ambitious? Really? Most definitely. First, a little backstory. Icelandic Roots, the organization Furstenau championed for over a decade, began as a non-profit online Icelandic genealogy database on November 12, 2013. Building on the database nurtured for decades by Halfdan Helgaso

By Phyllis Smith Continuing with the Icelandic Roots settlement areas we take you to a location in Ontario: Keewatin. A small community of proud and hardworking Icelanders called this place home. When the editorial team brainstormed all the possible Icelandic settlements across North America for this year’s newsletter articles, Keewatin, Ontario, didn’t make the top ten list. It’s not surprising. Keewatin (1) was and still is a small community in Northwestern Ontario. Now par