Manitoba Settlements: Argyle and Swan River
- Sharron Arksey
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Sharron Arksey
Icelandic settlements spread outside beyond the area of New Iceland over the course of time. Many continued north and west. This article looks at two other areas of Manitoba. Argyle, where the early settlers felt they had arrived in Paradise and yet some of them left, and Swan River. Sharron explores the early days for the settlers, their communities and how they have evolved.
ARGYLE
There is a story about an Icelandic immigrant who, in 1880, travelled from Gimli to what
is now the Rural Municipality of Argyle in southwestern Manitoba.
“Paradise,” he said, looking at the gently rolling hills and forest greenery, and he decided
to stay.
He was not the only one. Many Icelandic settlers came to the area. Some became long-
term residents; others stayed a shorter time before once again moving. Buying a piece
of Paradise was out of reach for some.
They named their town Baldur for the Norse god of light and son of Odin. The town flourished and, when the railway came through in 1889, things got even better.
Religion and education were early priorities. By 1884, the first Lutheran congregation had been formed. The Grund Frelsis Church, constructed in 1889 by volunteers, is
recognized as the oldest standing Icelandic Lutheran church in Canada. Located about 5.5 miles north of Baldur, it got its name from a family farm owned by one of the area’s original residents. “Grund’ means ‘grassy plain” and ‘frelsis’ means freedom or liberty.
But there were no automobiles in those days, and road conditions were poor.
Congregation members living further away did not find it easy to get to church every Sunday. So, a second church was built in 1910 about 10 miles northwest of Baldur. This church was named Bru Frikirkju Lutheran Church. Bru means bridge, and this church was also named after a farm of that name in the area.
The Grund church no longer has regular services but opens at special times of the year such as Easter, as well as for an annual Pack the Pews mid-summer service. This year’s Pack the Pews service is scheduled for Sunday, August 16. Offerings are donated to a specified charity each year. In 2026, donations go to Sara’s Pantry, a community food bank program located in nearby Glenboro.
Regular services were held at Bru Church until 1984. After 1985, only weddings,
funerals, and special services were held at the Bru church, with the last one held at
Christmas 1990. The church was moved to a new location, two miles south of Cypress
River, in August 1997, and later that year became a municipally designated heritage
site. It was repurposed as a community hall, a restaurant and banquet venue called
Cafe Bru until 2014 and later operated as a Bed & Breakfast for a time.
The Hecla School District was established formally in November 1884, and a one-room school building was erected. Until 1889, classes were held only during the summer because poor roads made winter travel difficult if not impossible. At the time, there were 120 students enrolled at the school and both adults and children attended. In 1897, a second school was built at the site, and the original school building was sold for use as a Methodist church. The school closed in January 1959, and the building was sold and dismantled. A commemorative monument was unveiled on 19 July 1992.
In a 1902 article in the Baldur Gazette (author unknown), the paper stated “The
Icelanders are staunch Protestants and the most loyal, innocent, pure-minded people in
the world. Crime, theft, debauchery and cruelty are almost unknown among them, and
as a people they are lovable and hospitable".
Since Icelanders are as human as anyone else, these are superlatives that would not
stand up to much scrutiny. But it is an indication of how well regarded these settlers
were.
As everywhere, the predominance of Icelandic culture faded as time went by, but the
Baldur area remains interested in its heritage. The Argyle Museum features Icelandic
exhibits and artifacts displaying the area’s past, and Baldur community residents
participate in activities of the Icelandic Club of Western Manitoba out of Brandon.
SWAN RIVER
Located about 500 km (310 miles) northwest of Winnipeg, the town of Swan River lies in
a valley between the Duck Mountains and the Porcupine Hills near to the Saskatchewan
border and today has a population of about 4,000.
The Swan River district began to attract Icelandic settlers in the late 1890s. A fairly large
contingent arrived from the Argyle area in southern Manitoba, but others came from The Narrows, Churchbridge, Keewatin, Winnipegosis, Brandon, and Winnipeg. They were
attracted by the fertile soils and agricultural promise of the area. They were also
searching for farmland that could be purchased at a reasonable price. By this time, most
of the homesteads promised to the Icelanders had been spoken for and other land was
often too expensive.
Icelanders named the valley Álftárdalurinn (Swan Valley) because of the landscape and
local wildlife. At the time, trumpeter swans bred near the lake which the Swan River fed
into, although nowadays the species is locally extinct.
Over the next twenty-five years, approximately 40 Icelandic families settled in the Swan
River area. They were scattered throughout the region, some living ten to 20 miles west
of the village, others ten miles to the northeast. Despite this, they were able to establish
a Lutheran congregation, two women’s societies and a community library.
In the summer months, services were provided by visiting ministers from other parts of
the province, including such well-known names as Pastor Steingrímur N. Þorláksson, the son of Pastor Paul Thorlaksson, Pastor Guttormur Guttormsson and
Pastor Jóhann Bjarnason.
In 1917, Icelandic settlers west of Swan River built a log community hall, later adding a
kitchen. The building was used mostly for social events and was well utilized during the
following decade. In 1927, it was sold to the United Church and then eventually to the
Swan River School District.
While working hard to preserve their language and culture, the Icelanders also were active in the broader culture of their community. Current day residents with Icelandic
connections have fully integrated themselves into the community.
Many of the Icelandic settlers were buried in the Fairdale Cemetery established in 1913.
Land for the cemetery was donated by Johann Laxdal, an Icelander who farmed that
quarter.
