The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-06-13
00ICELANDERS Off
FROM ORTHWESTT TO
ANCESTRAL COUNTRY
North Dakota, Minnesota and
Canada Represented in Par
ty to 1,o00th Anniversary

winnipeg, Man., June 13.-(H)-
More than 900 Icelanders from North
Dakota, Minnesota and Canada left
Winnipeg or special trains Thursday
for Montreal, where they will embark
on Saturday for Reykjavik, Iceland,
to be present at the millenniai cele-
bration marking the one thousandth
anniversary of the founding of the
1celandic althing. or parliament.
The ship carrying the party to
Reykjavik will arrive at the Icelandic
capital about June 81, in readiness for
the celebration. which will take place
there and at Thingvellir. the spot on
which the althing held its sessions
for centuries, from June Is to 20.
Another large party of Canadian
and American Icelande.s has already
embarked for the homeland" sailing
in a chartered vessel from New York
on June 6.
Pembina Icelandic District
The largest settlement Of Iceiandic
people in the United States is in
Pembina county. North Dakota, in
the vicinity Of Mountrail and Gardar.
Judge G.. Crimson, of Rugby. APP
pointed by Governor George F. Sha-
fer to represent North Dakota at the
celebration. will sail with the party
from Montreal next Saturday.
Members of q national delegation
Of five. named by President Hoover
to represent the United States, in
rlfYHo Cnnrroceroon - q Rrrt,,aes
OF the first North Dakota congress
sional district. and Professor Svein-
bjorn Johnson. Of the University Of
Illinois, a native of Iceland. former
North Dakota attorney general. and
author of Pioneers Of Freedom" a
book on early Icelandic institutions
which was published last month.
Senator Peter Norbeck. Of South
Dakota, heads the national delega-
ton, and will present Iceland with q
statue Of Left Ericsson, native son
Of the Sagaland, who is credited with
the discovery of America in the year
1000. The other two members ri
O. P. B. Jacobson. member of the
Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse
commission, and F. H. Fljozdal, De-
troit, president of the American
Brotherhood Of Railroad Mantle
nance-of-way Employees, and q native
of Iceland.
Canada Has Many Of Them
Vilhjalmer St~efansson, arctic ex-
plorer and OF 1celandic descent, Is ex-
pected to be a member of the party,
along with "countrymen" from the
settlements in Canada and the Unit
ed States. Delegates from Canada
will come largely from the provinces
Of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Canada has the largest number of
1celanders on the North American
continent. Persons of Icelandic de-
scent in the city of Winnipeg number
between 5000 and 10000, and there
are large settlements in the smaller
communities near Lake Winnipeg, as
well as in Saskatchewan and, to some
extent, In Alberta.
Gunnar B. Bjornson. Minnesota
state tax commissioner and a native
Of Iceland, will be the states official
representative at the anniversary OBJ
servance. Mr.. Bjornson will present
the Icelandic parliament with a book
printed from copper engraved plates,
setting forth Minnesota's greetings to
the althing. He will deliver his mes
sage, as will representatives of lead
ing European countries and Of the
United States and Canada, from Log
berg, the historic mount Of laws" at
Thingvellir, from which Viking chief
tains and officials were wont to
speak during the althing's sessions
in ancient times.
The Icelandic settlement In Minne-
sofa, in the vicinity of Minneota, Lyon
county, marks it's fifty-fifth anniver-
sary this summer. It was launched
In July, 1875, when Gunnlauger Pet
erson ann there and established a
farm home on the banks Of the yell
low Medicine river, about seven miles
notheast Of Minneota.