The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1971, Page 59

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
57
Mr. Casselman can recall just two
other men of Icelandic extraction who
have lived in the Snow Lake area.
One is the well-known prospector,
Walter Johnson, Manitoba’s Citizen
of the Year who discovered the Moak
Lake nickel ore body, from which
Thompson has grown, as well as the
Stall Lake find. Mr. Johnson said:
“We must continue to look to the
north for our economic prosperity, I
firmly believe and am strongly con-
vinced that in the years to come we
will be able to see mine headframes
spaced at ten mile intervals all the
way from Snow Lake to Thompson.’’
As his dream is slowly becoming a
reality, so has his vision and predi-
cation of our great prospector enlight-
ened, encouraged and inspired the in-
vestigation and exploration of the
vast potential resources of Northern
Manitoba. Mr. Casselman states this
in the epilogue of “The Saga of Snow
Lake”. Alas, Mr. Johnson lived only
a few years after the nickel find at
Thompson.
The other Icelander who lived in
Snow Lake for a short time was Mr.
W. D. Valgardson, a teacher. He is a
poet who has won several awards for
his poetry and prose.
The concluding paragraph \ of the
Saga is "tis not the beginning, nor
the beginning of the end for our great
northern province of Manitoba, it is
only the beginning of the beginning.”
The words of Thoreau are quoted —
“in the wilderness is the preservation
of the world.”
Both Mr. Casselman and his col-
laborator, Ronald Ledoux, were
awarded the Provincial Medal honor-
ing them for their contribution to
Manitoba’s Centennial.
IN THE NEWS
LITERARY PROJECT DISCUSSED
A project honoring the forthcoming
centennial of Icelandic settlement in
Manitoba was discussed at a general
meeting of the Icelandic Canadian
Club November 17. If launched, its
success will depend upon active and
equal involvement of all major Ice-
landic organizations within the prov-
ince.
A proposal to publish two anthol-
ogies of literary works by Icelandic
authors in North America was intro-
duced by Will Kristjanson, editor of
The Icelandic Canadian, one volume
to cover poetry, the other prose. Some
selections would be translated from
the Icelandic while others were
originally written in the English lan-
guage. Mr. Kristjanson presented a
long list of authors, poets and trans-
lators who might be included in such
anthologies.
He cited an announcement by Prime
Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau that
the government would shortly set up
a substantial fund in support of the
ethnic multiculture within Canada.
He felt that a fair share of this fund
should be available to the Icelandic
element, and that Icelandic groups
within the community should be asked
to examine the matter, discuss it and
prepare briefs for an initial study. A
committee was named, consisting of
John Matthiason, vice-president of the
club; Will Kristjanson, Bill Helgason,
Caroline Gunnarsson and the club’s