The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1967, Page 64

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Summer 1967
The Icelanders in British Columbia
by GUSTAF TRYGGVASON and NINA JOBIN
The Icelandic ethnic group in Bri-
tish Columbia has never been a large
one. The first official figures available
show that in 1902 there were 177 per-
sons of Icelandic nationality in the
province. This figure increased slow-
ly over the next three decades and by
1931 Census returns show 858 persons
of Icelandic origin in the province.
Thereafter the increase in their num-
bers was more rapid, as indicated by
later census returns. Their numbers
increased to 1,478 in 1941, 3,557 in
1951 and 5,136 in 1961. By now about
20% of all Icelandic Canadians live in
British Columbia.
The migration of Icelandic Can-
adians into British Columbia has some
general characteristics which are worth
mentioning. Firstly, the migration into
the province has been a secondary mi-
gration. Most of 'these people had
spent many years in other parts of
Canada and the United States before
coming to British Columbia. Secondly,
the majority of those who have arrived
have been Canadian or American by
birth. In 1961 only 8% of the Icelandic
Canadians in the province had been
born in Iceland. Thirdly, the migra-
tion has been a distinctly individualistic
migration. There is only one instance
on record of a group arriving in the
province with the intention of setting
up an Icelandic colony.
The first Icelanders came in the
1880’s and most of them settled, either
permanently or temporarily, in Vic-
toria. Among these were Olafur
(Oliver) and Gudrun Johnson, who
arrived around 1888. One of their sons,
Byron (Bjorn) Ingimar, born in Vic-
toria in 1890, later became a prom-
inent figure in sports, business and
politics in British Columbia. He was
first elected to the legislature in 1933.
In 1947 he became leader of the Liber-
al party and in that capacity he served
as the Premier of the province from
1947 to 1953. Another early settler in
Victoria was Christian Sivertz. One of
his sons, Bent, served in the federal
civil service, most recently as the Com-
missioner for the North West Terri-
tories. A third early settler, who ar-
rived shortly after the turn of the cen-
tury, was Sigttrdur Christopherson.
One of the first Icelanders to settle in
Canada, he served the government as
an immigration agent for many years
before settling in Crescent Beach.
The first Icelander to settle in the
Northern part of the province was T.
J. Davidson, who arrived in Prince
Rupert from Alberta in 1908. In 1913
a group of about ten families from
Manitoba arrived in Prince Rupert
enrou te to the Queen Charlotte Is-
lands, where they planned to establish
an Icelandic colony. The attempt fail-
ed and these people were then urged
to settle on Smith Island in the Skeena
River estuary. There they established
the village of Osland. By 1925, when
the population was about 70 persons,
the village had its own school, post of-
fice, store, a branch of the Farmer’s
Institute and an oil station serving the
local fishing fleet.
This group tried to preserve some