Icelandic Emigration to Spanish Fork, Utah
- Phyllis Smith
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
Icelandic Roots newsletter theme for 2026 is the emigration and settling of American settlements, including those that went to Utah in the early years.
Between 1854 and 1914, just over 400 Icelanders who had converted to the Church of the Latter-day Saints emigrated to Utah, where they founded the first permanent Icelandic settlement in North America. Icelandic influence in the area, specifically in Spanish Fork, Utah, remains today.
The story of this community has roots in Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands, where a group of adherents to the Church of the Latter-day Saints was established. Due to opposition in Iceland, a small group left Iceland, headed to Utah, where other members of the Church had been settling since the 1840s. It took a mere 16 Icelandic pioneers to set down roots in Spanish Fork, Utah and establish the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States. Others soon followed.1
Utah currently has around 4,000 people reporting Icelandic ancestry statewide, the third highest in the U.S. Utah County, where Spanish Fork lies, hosts the state's largest Icelandic American group.2
Susan Huff (I605414 ) has written several posts with tremendous detail about the establishment of the Spanish Fork community and her own family’s story.3, 1, 4 She will join the Samtal Hour on March 9, 2026 to share her extensive knowledge of the first emigration from Iceland to the New World. Susan grew up in a primarily Icelandic neighbourhood surrounded by other persons of Icelandic descent. She plans to share some fun information about this town’s connection to Iceland.
Below is a walking tour designed by Susan Huff, with information about the key sights:
In addition to Susan Huff's expertise, there is an abundance of information about the Icelandic American community in Utah. A select list of resources is below.
Icelandic Roots Resources
Icelandic Roots. (n.d.). “Utah” in Icelandic Roots [website]. Retrieved from https://www.icelandicroots.com/utah : 02 Feb 2026.
Huff, Susan Bearnson. (01 Dec 2021). “1883 Emigration and My Research to Discover More” in Icelandic Roots [website]. Retrieved from https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/1883-emigration-and-my-research-to-discover-more : 02 Feb 2026.
Huff, Susan Bearnson. (15 Feb 2023). “The Icelandic Settlement of Spanish Fork, Utah” in Icelandic Roots [website]. Retrieved from https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/the-icelandic-settlement-of-spanish-fork-utah : 02 Feb 2026.
Huff, Susan Bearnson. (19 Mar 2023). “The Icelandic Settlement of Spanish Fork, Utah Part II - The Icelandic Association of Utah” in Icelandic Roots [website]. Retrieved from https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/the-icelandic-settlement-of-spanish-fork-utah-part-ii-the-icelandic-association-of-utah : 02 Feb 2026.
Selected Resources
Ashby, David A. (2005) “Icelandic Memorial Dedication” Mormon Historical Studies v6n1: pp147–155. Retrieved from https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MHS_SPRING-2005_11-ICELANDIC-MEMORIAL.pdf : 03 Feb 2026
Ashby, David (c.2008). Icelanders Gather to Utah 1854–1914: from Iceland to Spanish Fork, Utah. The Icelandic Association of Utah. Buy from http://www.utahicelanders.org/bookstore.html.
· Short biographies of nearly 400 Icelanders who immigrated to Utah.
Ensign Peak Foundation (n.d.). "’Icelanders and Their Connection to Utah and the West’ Conference” in Ensign Peak Foundation (formerly Mormon Historic Sites Foundation) [website]. Retrieved from https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/icelanders-and-their-connection-to-utah-and-the-west-conference/ 02 Feb 2026.
Ensign Peak Foundation (n.d.). “Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland Folk Museum” in Ensign Peak Foundation (formerly Mormon Historic Sites Foundation) [website]. Retrieved from
“Icelandic Americans” (24 December 2025) in Wikipedia [website]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Americans : 03 Feb 2026.
Mulder, William. “Scandinavian Saga” pp141–185 in The Peoples of Utah. Papanikolas, Helen Z. (ed.). Utah Historical Society, 1976. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/the_peoples_of_utah_1976 : 02 Feb 2026
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. (23 September 2011). “Unique Project Tells Story of Early Icelandic Mormons” in Newsroom. [website]. Retrieved from https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/unique-project-tells-story-of-icelandic-mormons : 02 Feb 2026.
Brief institutional summary that ties together the Iceland–Utah connection and commemorative projects.
Woods, Fred. Fire on Ice: The Story of Icelandic Latter-day Saints at Home and Abroad, (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2005). [website]. Retrieved from https://rsc.byu.edu/book/fire-ice : 02 Feb 2026.
Woods, Fred. Fire on Ice: The Story of Icelandic Latter-day Saints at Home and Abroad, (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2005). [video]. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2015-08-0108-fire-on-ice-the-story-of-icelandic-latter-day-saints-at-home-and-abroad?lang=eng : 02 Feb 2026
Connect to the Icelandic Community in Utah
The Icelandic Association of Utah. [website]. Retrieved from http://www.utahicelanders.org/home.html : 02Feb 2026.
The Icelandic Association of Utah Facebook group. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/IcelandicAssociationofUtah/ : 02 Feb 2026
