by Cathy Josephson
Editors Note: Cathy Josephson tells us of her family settling in Minnesota in the 1870s in this article. To hear more about their story and the celebration of 150 years since Icelanders first settled in Minneota join host Jason Doctor on Wednesday, November 6th. Jason and Cathy discuss her great-grandfather's journey as one of the first Icelanders to arrive and many others followed. More details about the webinar can also be found in the Event Calendar, which also includes the link to join. Be sure to mark your calendar because this will be one you won't want to miss!
... from Vopnafjörður in northeast Iceland, a small community then and now. From 1873 until 1911 well over 1,000 people left, most bound for Canada but 300 turned south toward Southwest Minnesota.
Leading the way that first year was Gunnlaugur Pétursson (IR#I337829) who left from Hákonarstaðir in Jökuldalur. After two years in Wisconsin, he joined a small group heading west after hearing that land was available. Wagons were loaded, oxen hitched, and the three-week journey began. On July 4, 1875 Gunnlaugur filed his homestead and named it Hákonarstaðir.
Then he wrote to family and friends back in East Iceland. They began to arrive in 1878.
But not everyone came so soon.
My great-grandfather, Árni Sigfússon (IR#I3444546) , was 12 when Gunnlaugur decided to leave; 14 when Askja erupted in 1875; from 1876 at Melur in Jökuldalsheiði with his parents and siblings. He knew about living in difficult circumstances, moving from Rjúpnafell to Dalhús, to Gunnólfsvík, to Skeggjastaðir, to Melur, finally to Hraunfell. Árni wanted to farm, and wanted to stay in Iceland. He married, began a family, and farmed at Hraunfell. When others needed funds to emigrate, Árni sometimes bought what they had to sell.
But family members left one by one, either by death or by emigration. Árni’s uncles left in 1876 and 1878, an aunt left in 1888, his mother died in 1889, and his father and sister left that year. By 1893, the only family left in Vopnafjörður were his wife and sons, one uncle and one brother. His wife had one sister who stayed in Iceland.
By the time he arrived in Minneota, the village and nearby areas were thriving and full of people from Iceland: his former neighbors, cousins, uncles, sister and father. Árni found new land and continued farming until he moved to Glenboro, Manitoba in 1920.
Gunnlaugur Pétursson and many others, most from East Iceland, settled in Lyon, Lincoln and Yellow Medicine Counties. They opened grocery stores, hardware stores, formed an Icelandic co-op. They began a library of books carried by horseback from house to house until they formed the library still in Minneota. They began church meetings in private homes until they could build churches. They sent their children to school, then on to college. Over the years, many moved away, but there are still many in the area who are proud of their connection to Iceland.
The old Icelanders and many of their descendants are still there. You can read their names in the cemeteries where they now lie. We Minneota Icelanders who are alive are busy reading, farming, volunteering, traveling, educating ourselves and our children, supporting local causes, and visiting with our neighbors.
Names & I-numbers of the family and descendants of Gunnlaugur and Guðbjörg:
Gunnlaugur Pétursson I337829; Guðbjörg Jónsdóttir I537431
Árni Sigfússon I3444546; Friðrika Helgadóttir I248217.
Sigfús Jósepsson I965958; Vilborg Árnadóttir I3444554; Einar Matúsalem Sigfússon I3444579.
Vigfús Jósepsson I3444620 Jósef Jósepsson I3444621, Ásbjörn Jósepsson I2674; Rósa Jósepsdóttir I88717.