The Saint Paul globe., 1903-10-04


shore of Lake Winnipeg, from Husa-
wick to IsafOld, is quite properly called
New Iceland" Nearly forty years ago
an English explorer, who could speak
the Icelandic tongue, made Journeys
through Western Canada. Then, as
agent of the British government, he
visited the cities of Iceland, telling the
people there about this great new West,
the price of land per acre, the climate,
and the large wages paid for labor and
produce, holding out all the induce
ments usually offered to early settlers.
He was successful in organizing a
band of 1,200 people, who left their ma
tive island in June, shipped to Scot
land, travelled by rail to Liverpool, on
shipboard again to Quebec, then by
rail to Grand Forks, N. D., from which
place they were slowly foated in scows
down the Red River of the North and
across the lower end of Lake Winnipeg
to place now called Gimli on the west
shore. sfs5. -
This journey begun in June was not
finished until September. The people
were then left in wilderness, with no
means of communication with the OUT
side world, and no houses or shelter of
any kind from the rapidly approaching
winter. They soon erected rude cabins
which were rooted with bark, moss,
leaves and mud, to protect them from
the rain and snow, fishing meanwhile
to keep them from starving
Isolated From the World.
Many of the early settlers in the
great Northwest were for years prac-
tlcally isolated from all the rest of the
world. The early Scotch pioneers, for
example, along the banks of the Red
river, a few miles north of the present
city of Winnipeg, arrived before there
We're any railroad facilities whatever.
They sailed in via Hudson's bay,
then through the Nelson river, with its
many portages, 250 miles across Lake
| Winnipeg. and thirty miles farther
south up the Red river They sue
! ceeded in getting letters from home
twice year They had no implements
for farming, except such as they could
! manufacture on the spot or as were
| brought from Scotland via Hudson's
| bay and the portages of the Nelson
river.
have seen In a back yard in Winni-
peg an old plow brought by this route
from Scotland. It's long point and low
noldboard, with the straight iron han
dies, reminded one forcibly of the i'm
! provements that have been made in
| agricultural implements during the last
nifty years. The handles of this plow,
| III SPiIC VI IilClI lcuSl1, are SO low LnlC
| even when 1t is on top of the ground
one must stoop far or bend his knees
much. in order to get hold of them at
all. These early pioneers were doubt
! less accustomed to do nearly every
| thing the hardest way possible.
There are but comparatively few of
| the early Scotch settlers now left on
! the old stamping ground. The Iceland
| ers, however, a more modern importa-
| In hot 11r
part stayed by themselves in strong
colonies. Their settlements extend
now to the village of Hecla, on the
| land between the southern and nortfl-
ern portions of Lake Winnipeg, and
even around on the northeast border
OF the lower lobe of the lake.
They Have Village.
Thes residents Of Gimli village, now
the largest and most thriving of these
little towns, are all Icelanders. Last
year they built a fine dock, and there
is now. during the few months of sum-
n1er a steamboat. the Viking, making
! regular trips from West Selkirk to the
Icelandic river. 9 One can get NORTH or
south by this route on alternate days.
The Viking, as the name would imply,
Is owned and officered by Icelanders.
l Journeyed on board this little boat
from West Selkirk. arriving ins GimIf
at $3.50 p. m. This was seven hours
later than usual, because on account
of very high sea the day previous,
the little ship had been unable TO get
into the mouth of the river at all, and
so had been delayed by going back
to find harbor. The majority of the
inhabitants in Gimli evidently retire
early, or do not believe in wasting coal
OIL
But few lights were to be seen at
$3.50, and the only sounds came from
the lowing herds and the bleating
f1ocks, the tinkling of their far-away
bells and the sonorous and peculiar
baying of the "husky dogs" The lat
ter are very numerous, and may be
seen along the beach and chained to
old logs and overturned boats, where
they can be most easily fed with the
waste portions of fish, when the catch
is brought in and dressed.
These dogs are apparently worthless
creatures in summer, and quite nuis-
ance, but in winter they are used every
day by the fishermen to draw them in
their sledges many miles out on the
lake, and bring them safely home again
with great load of fish. Stout and
savage creatures they are indeed, who
apparently have little use for strangers.
Their National Holiday.
Aug. is the Icelanders' national
holiday, generally observed with music.
| speech making and the reading of orig
inal poems, followed by athletic sports.
There are now 5000 of these fair
haired sons of the North in the city of
| Winnipeg. The exercises there this
year were held Monday, Aug. 8, on the
exposition grounds, where are several
large buildings, a fine race track and a
grand stand that seats 10000 people.
From the top of the largest building
was flying the solemn black flag, hav-
ing just one big white star in the mid
die.
One cannot mingle long with these
lcelanders without being impressed by
the sturdiness of character, naturally
developed in a people whose ancestors
Tor ten centuries have heroically strug-
| gled with the elements to keep them
| selves from starving drowning and
freezing. 1t requires indeed, but small
imagination to hear the wall of or
phaned children, mourning for drowned
| fathers, in the blended tones of those
resonant voices, as they slowly swell
the strains of the national hymn. I am
told that, as in the centuries past.
scores of fishermen are yet annually
blown out to sea never to return. Great
numbers do succeed in getting back to
land in spite of all the weather, but