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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

The goal for many Icelandic emigrants to Canada was to get to Gimli, Manitoba and join those who left before them. The plan was to establish Nýja Ísland , where the immigrants could be close to friends and family, and preserve their culture, traditions, and language. However, the first Icelanders to Canada settled in Ontario. In The Icelanders of Kinmount, Don Gislason referred to it as an “experiment in settlement” because it largely failed. Only a few families chose to s

By Shaune Jonasson This book review presents The Young Icelander – The story of an immigrant in Nova Scotia and Manitoba . A classic in Iceland that has been translated and published in English, offering insight to the challenges of emigration and settling in a foreign land. The emigrants are resilient. Their spirit, motivated by hope and determination, molds their greatest desire of creating a better life for their families. In 1899, Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason wrote the story

By Rob Olason (I149007) In the January 18, 2026, edition of the Icelandic Roots newsletter, Rætur Fréttir/Roots News , I published the article, “The Icelandic Roots 2026 Focus.” Each year the newsletter team picks a theme to emphasize when we gather articles from our contributing authors. We intend that this sustained exploration of a topic over the course of a year will provide our readers with a deeper understanding of this aspect of Icelandic heritage. The 2026 focus is on

by Becky Byerly-Adams Wisconsin was the chosen settlement area for many Icelandic emigrant families in the 1870s. Becky provides background and insights from the areas of Milwaukee and Shawano. These settlements were not without challenges; many relocated while others remained. Their preservation of Icelandic life and culture remains their legacy. We still celebrate them today. Wisconsin Map 1866. Image sourced from Maps of the Past MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Milwaukee, Wisconsi

By Jason Doctor Public Webinar on Friday, 27 March 2026 : INDIGENOUS AND ICELANDIC INTERACTIONS AT THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS Our Icelandic Roots Host, Jason Doctor, welcomes guest Hildur Sigurbergsdóttir, historian and Snorri West alum. We will be discussing the complex story of the encounters between the Icelandic settlers and the existing Indigenous populations as part of an extended celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of New Iceland and Minneota.

By Gay Strandemo Settling in the Wisconsin area, our Scandinavian ancestors left their mark. A strong sense of literacy and the preservation of historical records has offered enhanced understanding of their cultures, traditions, languages and more curated by the Department of Scandinavian Studies, which has a history unto itself. Established in 1875, the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the oldest Scandinavian Studies department in