Lögberg-Heimskringla - 11.09.1992, Qupperneq 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 11. september 1992
The Point Roberts Story:
by Cecil Swanson
Point Roberts, for those unaware of
its unique location, is a part of the
United States (and the State of
Washington) politically and geographi-
cally. It is also surrounded by water
and Canadian soil.
To get there, say from Blaine,
Washington, which is located at the
Canadian border, one must clear U. S.
and Canadian customs with their
requirements, travel through Canada
25 miles and go through both customs
and immigration again when reaching
the Point thus getting back into the
United States.
To escape all of this, one would
have to travel by airplane or boat and
in the early years boating was the only
means of transportation available for
getting to or from this piece of land jut-
ting out from the Canadian mainland.
Utilities for the Point all come, or
have come, from Canada; electricity,
water, telephone, some food services
and dozens of other needed services to
sustain life for homes and businesses.
Even medical help. Some good
Canadian doctors on occasion gave
treatment to Point Roberts residents
even though they did not have license
to practice in the state of Washington!
Although the people of the Point
built schools and hired teachers only
the lower grades could be handled
there. The high School students were
bused to Blaine to complete their edu-
cation. Then in 1963 with smaller num-
bers, all students began the daily round
trip to Blaine for schooling.
The Icelandic settlers began arriving
in 1893 and did so for several years fol-
lowing. The first ones came from
Bellingham: the Kristjan Benson fami-
ly, several from Victoria and an influx
from Iceland. They settled on the land,
built homes and grew great crops—so
good that they could write back home
about them!
For some ten to fifteen years,
depending on arrival, they were con-
sidered squatters until finally the U.S.
govemment reversed the Point’s status
as a Military Reserve (never used or
occupied) and gave the residents an
opportunity to file homestead claims.
A one time large fishing industry
has now completely disappeared and
small farms have been abandoned.
Today it is largely a vacation and
retirement area with about 50%
Canadian people, who after 1953 were
allowed to buy iand there.
Whatcom County has built and
maintains a park at the old Lighthouse
location, there is also a large marina
for pleasure boats. There are also
stores, restaurants, taverns, RV parks,
Post Office, Fire Station, community
centre, library, small jail, airfield,
antique store, golf range and other
amenities.
The Point, as did many other areas,
went through good times and bad but
through most of its modem timcs there
is no doubt the Icelanders were the
ones who held it together.
The permanent population is still
small but weekends and holidays it is
overflowing with people, mostly from
Canada, many of whom have summer
homes there. It is a veiy pleasant place
to visit having recently seen many
improvements and enjoys much sunny
weather being in the rain shadow of
the Olympic Mountains across the
Georgia and Juan De Fuca Straits.
There have been many efforts by
Canada to annex the Point, but the res-
idents, in spite of the difficulties they
have faced over the years, remain
fiercely loyal to the United States.
With the author’s permission,
Richard E. Clark, we are reprinting a
few paragraphs from his book: Point
Roberts, USA.
(Arni) Myrdal believed that he
could eam a living at Point Roberts.
(He was a mechanic and had hesitated,
having heard very few optimistic
reports about the area). Indeed, he later
became foreman of the Alaska Packers
Association cannery. So he and his
father, Sigurdur, moved to Point
Roberts on June 16, 1894. Ten years
later, (1904) a gov-
ernment survey
revealed that the
Icelandic commu-
nity had grown to
ninety-three resi-
dents accounting
for exactly one-half
of the Point Rob-
erts population.
The stoiy of the
Point Roberts
squatters and their
final opportunity
to homestead and
own their homes
and farms is told
by Runa Thordar-
son in her “Echoes
From The Past”.
Finally in 1908
the long awaited
dream came true.
President (Theo-
dore) Roosevelt
opened Point Rob-
erts for homestead-
ers. Each family
was allowed the
land they were liv-
ing on.
All the men went
to Seattle to the
land office. It was a happy day for
everyone when they came back on the
mail boat, which arrived shortly before
noon.
While the men were gone, the
women planned a big community pic-
nic to greet them. It was a beautiful
sunny summer day at Tinkham’s
Grove. Daga Thorsteinson and her
girls baked and fried chicken and
helped with the picnic. This was one of
the happiest gatherings ever held at
Point Roberts.
Colonel Edward Tinkham, one of
the early settlers who owned property
on the west side of the Point suggested
it would be appropriate to send a gift
of scme kind to President Roosevelt to
show their appreciation. Helgi
Thorsteinson butchered his largest
sheep and donated the skin. This was
expertly tanned and a rug made from it
by Mr. Elsner who had learned the
trade in Germany. It was then sent to
President Roosevelt.
A letter of thanks was received from
the President saying the rug was being
used in the White House!
From the pen of Lola Loreen:
When Laugi Thorsteinson sold the
last of his herd of Guernseys in 1954 it
was the cnd of an era for Point
Roberts. Since the very early days of
settlement on the Point there had been
many successful dairy farms, often rais-
ing high quality purebred animals and
shipping cream to Bellingham or sell-
ing milk locally. (Most popular breeds
were Holstein, Jersey and Guernscy.
Most families also kept one cow for
home use.)