The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1954, Side 34

32
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
ers mortgaged their lands. Let it be
added that the congregation later paid
them back.
The erection of the Mountain
Church, the oldest Icelandic church
on the American continent, is asso-
ciated with the name and forward-
looking activities of Reverend Thor-
laksson, founder and first pastor of
the Mountain congregation (1880-
1882) he donated a plot of his land
for a church site and cemetery, and
laid the groundwork for the erection
of a church building. When his un-
timely death in March 1882 cut short
his career, he had, however, only suc-
ceeded in having had some trees felled
and brought together as building
material for the future church.
Hence, it remained for his succes-
sor, the late Reverend H. B. Thor-
grimsen, who was pastor of the Moun-
tain congregation 1883-1886 and 1901-
1912, to carry on the building of the
church to its completion. It was built
during the spring and summer months
of 1884, and meetings were held in it
that fall, although it was not formally
dedicated until June 1887.
Originally a simple structure, it has
naturally undergone some changes in
the course of the years, and recently
was moved a short distance from its
old site. However, it is still in use, a
dignified and historic landmark, and
a worthy monument to the vision and
labor of the pioneers who built it at a
great sacrifice.
This historic Icelandic church has,
of course, been a center of the religious
and other cultural activities within
the community. What is still more
interesting and significant, it has a
place of unusual importance in the
annals of the Icelandic Lutheran Syn-
od of America, for that organization
was cradled within its walls.
Spring 1951
There it was, at the call of Reverend
Thorgrimsen, the local pastor of the
day, that representatives of the then
existing Icelandic congregations in
Manitoba and North Dakota gathered
to form a synod of their own, on Jan-
uary 23-25, 1885. And on the golden
anniversary of the Icelandic Synod,
the Mountain church was, as it should
be, the centre of the memorable cele-
bration held in Pembina County. The
seventieth anniversary of that historic
church, the oldest Icelandic house of
worship on American soil, will no
doubt be duly observed next year.
Besides Reverend Thorlaksson and
Reverend Thorgrimsen, the following-
pastors, all of whom have played an
important part in the work of the Ice-
landic Synod, have served the Moun-
tain congregation: Reverend F. J.
Bergman (1886-1901), Reverend K. K.
Olafson (1812-1925), Dr. H. Sigmar
(1926-1945), and Reverend E. H.
Fafnis, from 1945 until his recent
death.
Not only did the Icelandic pioneers
in Pembina County very early give
their attention to the religious life of
the community by building a house of
worship; with characteristic Nordic
love of law and order, as well as with
deep-rooted interest in education, they
equally early began township organiza-
tion and forming school districts, the
first one being organized in February
in 1881, only three years after the ar-
rival of the first settlers.
And down through the years,
through good seasons and lean, the
settlement has advanced, or at least
held its own, materially, and generally
maintained a high level of intellectual
life.
It is now a prosperous community
which has made a significant contribu-
tion to the cultural and material de-