The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1971, Qupperneq 58

56
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
WINTER 1971
the land was flat and covered with
pines that looked as though they had
been deprived of their vitamins. Little
did they know that they would come
to love those trees and the area they
represent.
In the early days mud plagued the
residents. One poet said this in the
third verse of his poem:
“It bubbles ’neath the sidewalks,
it sleezes through the doors,
And gurgles like an eerie spook
beneath the bunkhouse floors.
You’ll find it in your fingernails
and going up your toes
And dripping from the ears and mouth
and stopping up your nose.”
Nevertheless the towns people had
gardens and made every effort to make
the area beautiful.
The Howe Sound Company was
the main source of income: for a great
number of the people of the com-
munity until 1958 when the Hudson’s
Bay Company bought the assets of
the company. This included the power
line, plant buildings and equipment
P. T. GUTTORMSSON
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
1040 GRAIN EXCHANGE BLDG.
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA
Office 942-0678 Res. 453-1820
furm
Flowers Telegraphed Everywhere 4
310 DONALD ST. PH. 942-3404-5-6
houses, community hall, school, curl-
ing rink and hospital. They in turn
sold most of the houses to their em-
ployees; the school, community hall
and curling rink were turned over to
the local government district.
At first communication with the
outside world was difficult. In 1950
a telephone exchange was set up and
in 1951 a radar system was installed,
which connected with the Manitoba
Telephone System and there was long
distance service.
In the space of twenty years Snow
Lake School moved from a single
framed dwelling to a modern complex
of physics and chemistry laboratories,
gymnasium, Audio-Visual rooms etc.
From one teacher in 1948 to twenty
seven at the end of the 1960’s. The
nursing and hospital facilities have
grown with the rest of the town. The
hospital staff increased to include a
resident doctor and four to six nurses.
Churches have been built, community
clubs organized, and a hockey arena
with artificial ice completed. The
towns people were concerned with all
the projects to make their town one
of the best. The editor commended
the people of Snow Lake for develop-
ing the community who through their
pioneering spirit, courage, self-sacri-
fice and resourcefulness chipped the
community from the modern promised
land.
The Hudson’s Bay Mining and
Smelting Company was awarded the
Award of Honor on the basis of the
combined safety records of all six
operating metal mines under their
jurisdiction. Seven awards, including
the Award of Honor, the Award of
Merit, Certificates of Commendation
and Presidents Letters from the Na-
tional Safety Council of Chicago. The
Company has made every effort to as-
sure the best possible safety for their
employees.