Heimskringla - 23.12.1953, Side 5

WINNIPEG, 23. DES. 1953
HEIMSKRINGLA
5. SÍÐA
John Taylor’s house, a large log
structure of two stories. Father
took in hand to make various
things for Mr. Taylor the win-
ter we stayed in Gimli, among
these were a few dozen old-
style hardwood clothespins. I
remember this as if it happened
only yesterday, I wanted so
much to own a few of those
clothespins to play with for they
could be made to look like little
boys. Not realizing my fervent
wish, I set about to make them
myself, using fathers tools
under his guidance. This was
my first important mechanical
undertaking; and from that day
the urge to make worthwhile
things has never lessened.
Shortly after our arrival, an
acute form of smallpox
out in the settlement. The
aborigines were all but exterm-
inated, and the immigrants suf-
fered greatly. My three sisters
and I contracted the disease. My
sister, Anna, succumbed to the
malady.
In the winter of 1877-8, an
exceedingly noxious form óf
scarlet fever swept the colony.
We .were then in the Arnes
district, a short distance north
of Gimli. In our household,
three became affected, my sis-
ters, Valgerd and Sigrid, ar.d
myself. Valgerd and Sigrid
died. I eventually recovered.
Thus, in the space of less than
two years, my parents had lost
three of their four children
born in Iceland. A girl was born
to them nine months later, and
SEASON’S GREETINGS
To Our Friends and Gustomers
from
KARDY’S HARDWARE & PAINTS
CENTRE STREET — GIMLI, MAN.
★
Phones: Bus. 56 — Res. 87
INNILEGAR JÓLA OG NÝÁRSÓSKIR
til allra vina og viðskiftamanna
HAROLD BJARNASON

Cor. 3rd & Center St. GIMLI, MAN. Phone 28
MEÐ BEZTU ÓSKUM . . < .
um gleðileg jól og farsælls nýárs
til vina og viðskiftamanna
GIMLI MEDICAL CENTRE
GIMLI, MANITOBA
A. B. Ingimundson, D. D.S.
G. Johnson, M.D.
C. R. Scribner, M.D.
F. E. Scribner, M.D.
INNILEGAR
til allra vorra vina og viðskiftamanna
TIP TOP MEATS
& FROZEN FOOD LOCKERS
PHONE 101
GIMLI, MAN
LIMITED
Taka á móti korni, senda korn og flytja út
Umboðsmaður—Gimli, Man.
B. R. McGibbon
Aðalskrifstofa
Útibú
MONTREAL TORONTO
CALGARY
REGINA
80 sveitakornhlöður
Endastöðvar í Calgary og Port Arthur
Gamalt félag, sem orð liefir á sér fyrir
ábyggileg viðskifti”
INNILEGAR JÓLA- OG NÝÁRSÓSKIR!
til allra vorra vina og viðskiftamanna
CENTRAL BAKERY
GIMLI
PHONE 24
MANITOB A
( Greenberg’s)
GIMLI TRANSFER
FAST FREIGHT AND EXPRESS
TO AND FROM WINNIPEG
SPECIALIZED FURNITURE MOVERS *
Gimli Ph. 20 Riverton Ph. 322 Winnipeg Ph. 93-0111
IMPERIAL BANK OF CANADA
AÐALSKRIFSTOFA
TORONTO, ONT.
Vér tökum þetta tækifæri til að flytja árnaðaróskir
gleðilegra jóla og velgengni á þessu nýbyrjaða ári.
GIMLI ÚTIBÚ — R. L. WaSson, ráðsmaður
Winnipeg útibú eru:
MAIN og BANNATYNE SELKIRK og MAIN
PORTAGE og DONALD
ST. VITAL & EAST KILDONAN
INNILEGAR
til allra vorra vina og viðskiftamanna
G. H. THORKELSSON
Jeweller
CENTRE ST. near Third Ave,
GIMLI, MAN
Vér Flytjum Öllum Vorum Mörgu
Viðskiftavinum Innilegar
Hátíðakveðjur
RIVERTON CO-OPERATIVE CREAMERY
ASSOCIATION LIMITED
Alice Eyolfson, Manager
a boy (John Myrdal of Point colony. Sigtrygg Jonasson
Roberts, Washington), in 1879 (Captain Jonasson); for many
at Lund, Big Island. Two daugh-
ters (Mrs. K. M. Miller and
Mrs. L. E. Gower of Victoria, B.
years the editor of Lögberg, a
w'eekly newspaper, and, the
later part of his life, in the
C.) were born to them in the vil- Manitoba government service.
lage of Pembina, North Dakota,
1882 and 1887 respeltively.
For the most part father was
engaged in trading. His last
trading post was at Sandy Bar;
it was situated but a short dis-
tance from Björn Pjetursson, a
former member of Althing (the
Icelandic parliament), and who
later became the first Icelandic
Unitarian missionary in Amer-
ica; his youngest son, Olaf (the
late Dr. Olaf Björnsson of Win-
nipcg) and I were of like age,
Sigurd Kristofersson (married
Caroline Taylor, a niece and
foster-daughter of John Tay-
lor); he later served as an
emigration agent; came to Brit-
ish Columbia shortly after the
turn of the century and settled
at Crescent, B. C., where he died
some years ago. — Sigurd paid
us a short visit in the early
spring of 1902; he told us then
that he was seriously thinkir.g
about moving to the Pacific
Coast. — Halldor Briem, a min-
, , , ister of the Gospel for a brief
so we often played together .
iC, j tU tt- time; marned Susie Taylor,
while at Sandy Bar. Pjetursson | n____________________
had purchased John Ramsay’s
place after the smallpox had
subsided—Ramsay having lost
his wife. Ramsay was an educat-
ed Indian, a very fine man. I
remember him well. I also recall
that Ramsay’s root-house, in
which we stowed our potatoes,
contained several books. One of
the books appeared to be a bible
in the Indian language. Compar-
ed with the other books, it was
very thick; its paper was rather
course, but not harsh to the
touch; it was brownish-white of
color and somewhat soiled, indi-
cating that it had often been
referred to.
Björn Pjetursson was a talent-
Caroline’s sister, the year we
left New Iceland for good and
all (1880); returned to Iceland
two years later and received an
appointment as a teacher in the
middle-class of Möðruvellir; he
was a great mathematician. Joh-
ann Stefansson, whose home was
a short distance from our’s
when we lived in Arnes; he was
a sagacious and observing per-
son and given to writing; Vil-
hjalmur Stefansson is his son,
born shortly before we moved
to North Dakota; Stefansson
followed the main exodus in
1881 (this departure from Nev/
Iceland was not caused by any
lack of faith in the country upon
the whole or its government, and
ed man, an excellent conversa- the fertility of the soil in that
tionalist and an able logician—| particular region was wel!
could skillfully apply the ana- known. It was the slow and
lytical method of reasoning arduous work of converting
when supporting an arguement densely forested land into prof-
He was tall and noble looking, itable wheatfields that urged
and inspired confidence. He was! many to avail themselves of pro-
an undergraduate of the Latin J curable prairie land and settled
College of Reykjavík.
,We stopped over at Winni-
peg on our way to the Pacific
iCoast. Among our many friends,
who came to see us, was Mr.
Pjetursson. He saw us to the
train the day we left and wish-
ed us Godspeed. This was the
final good-bye, we never saw
him again. — He was ordained,
that very same year, into the
Unitarian ministry, and died
some six years later. .
powerful and energetic; I have
Of the men I knew, when we been told that tw0 of his sons
lived in New Iceland, I remem- had the distinction of being or
ber these most clearly: John having been the tallest and big-
Taylor, a most excellent man;
he was the commsisioner of our 1 Frh. á 6. bls.
in the Mountain district, a days
journey from Pembina, before
the advent of the automobile;
Pembina was then the county
seat. Stefan Eyjólfsson, who
was in many respects a very
noteworthy man; Stefan, atid
Gunnsteinn Eyjólfsson, the
writer, were brothers. Olaf Gud-
mundsson, a very close friend,
with whom we lived for several
months while in Arnes; I remem
ber him as a tall, handsome man,