Lögberg-Heimskringla - 11.02.1983, Side 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 11. FEBRÚAR 1983-5
Famous places: Federal
historic sites in Manitoba
Courtesy of Manitoba History
Anyone who has travelled in
Manitoba has prdbably seen at least
one or two of the many national
historic sites in our province. Perhaps
one of the most distinctive of these
sites is that commemorating Vilh-
jalmur Stefansson near Arnes,
Manitoba. The Stefansson site is
marked by an impressive monument
to which two bronze plaques are at-
tached and upon which rests a
sculpture of Stefansson. The monur
ment is surrounded by two acres of
landscaped parkland. This is a very
special memorial which was built to
pay tribute to one man's exceptional
contribution to Canada.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson was born on
November 3, 1897 in Arnes,
Manitoba and was educated in
Dakota Territory in the United States
where his family had moved when
he was a child. He is best known for
his important contributions to Arctic
exploration. He took part in his first
expeditions while doing graduate
work at Harvard after having receiv-
ed his Bachelor's degree from the
University of Iowa in 1903. In 1904
he travelled to Iceland and in 1906 he
jook part in a_ second expedition,
which he joined as an enthnologist,
to the Mackenzie Delta area.
In 1908, under the sponsorship of
the American Museum of Natural
History and the Canadian Geological
Survey, Stefansson led his first ma-
jor expedition. Not only did the ex-
peditionary group sonduct extensive
surveys of the Colville, Cape Parry,
Coronation Gulf and Victoria Island
areas, but it also discovered some
new geographical features and gave
Stefansson the opportunity to
establish contact with a group of
Eskimos previously unknown to
white men. He spent the better part
of one winter living among these peo-
ple and developed an understanding
of their language and their culture.
Stefansson is most noted in
Canada, however, for his participa-
tion in the Canadian Arctic Expedi-
tion of 1913-18. In spite of the great <
difficulties asociated with early Arc-
tic exploration, the expedition ac-
complished a great deal in two areas
— exploration and collection of scien-
tific information. Stefansson, who
w^s in the northern group after 1914
when the expedition divided into two
camps, concentrated on exploration
and mapping, though his group cer-
tainly contributed important
biological materials as well. He
established that travel on moving sea
ice was feasible, contrary to accepted
opinion at the time, and he
discovered new land north of Prince
Patrick Island as well as several large
islands west of Axel Heiberg. New,
more accurate lines were drawn on
the map of Canada because of his
work and, perhaps more important-
ly, a new attitude towards the North
began to emerge as a result of Stefan-
son's experiences. Having travelled
great distances by foot and by dogsled
and having lived among the Inuit, he
felt compelled to share the wealth
of new knowledge he had gained and
thus to helþ change the distorted and
-- m
.,
. '“v.
Stefansson Monument, Arnes, Manitoba.
mythical image of the Arctic
prevalent at that time.
Stefansson received official
recognition of his accomplishments
from the Canadian government in
1921 when he was formally thanked
by Order in Council. Despite the con-
troversy which arose after the ex-
pedition, the , government
acknowledged, among other things,
his instrumental role in "turning
men’s minds toward the north coun-
try." Stefansson continued to pursue
this goal upon returning to the
United States in the 1920s. He wrote
eloquently and demonstrated "a fine
critical mind" in both his writing and
his many lectures. His home became
a research centre for those interested
Stefánsson Family, from left to right, Jóhannes J. Stefánsson, Rögnvaldur Pétursson, Grettir Jóhannsson,
Ingibjörg (Stefánsson) Thorlakson, Gudrun Johnson, Vilhjálmur Stefánsson, Ásmundur Jóhannsson, Thura
Olafson and son Allan, Sveinn Thorvaldson.
in the Arctic and he maintained his
direct contact with the North through
a variety of activities.
. In all of his endeavours, Stefansson
showed remarkable courage, trium-
phing over both the harshness of the
Arctic and the rigidity of accepted
opinion. His life presents us with an
important example of effort and
achievement in the facé of adversity
and for this, as much as for his prac-
tical scientific contributions, he
should be remembered.
The monument near Arnes that
keeps Stefansson’s memory and
achievements alive was unveiled in
August 1969, but the process which
led to this commemoration began
earlier in October of 1964 when the
Histöric Sites and Monuments Board
of Canada decíded to recognize
Stefansson as an eminent Canadian.
Arnes was chosen as the best site for
the commemoration and plans were
started in co-operation with the pro-
vincial governmént which provided
the land. By May, 1969, an agree-
ment was reached between the
federal and provincial governments
on the design of the monument. The
design chosen, after an extensive
search, was that of Walter Yarwood
of Toronto, which was enthusiastical-
ly received by the people of Arnes.
On August 3, 1969, during the An-
nual Icelandic Festival, the monu-
ment was unveiled. In addition to the
usual plaques which carry the official
inscription in French and English, the
monument bears another inscription,
"I know what I have experienced
and 1 know what it has meant to
me," in French, English and Icelan-
dic. The most memorable párt of the
structure, however, is the beautiful
sculpture of Stefansson which depicts
him as Canadians prefer to
remember him, trudging undaunted-
ly across the ice and snow-covered
North. , .
Sharon Babaian
University of Manitoba