The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1984, Side 26

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SUMMER, 1984
the University of Manitoba) after at-
tending classes here during 1884/85.
Turn right (west) at Portage A ve. and,
keeping to the right-hand side of the street,
drive west to Langside St., passing
32. WESLEY COLLEGE (NOW UNI-
VERSITY OF Winnipeg) (515 Por-
tage Ave.). Wesley College was the
first university level institute in North
America to establish training and
courses offered in the Icelandic lan-
guage. The courses began in October
1901 through an arrangement between
the college and the Icelandic Lutheran
Synod. The first teacher was Rev.
Fridrik J. Bergmann, then the min-
ister at the Tabernacle Church. These
courses were discontinued in 1927
when the centre for Icelandic instruc-
tion was shifted to the Jon Bjamason
Academy on Home St.
Turning right (north) at Langside, pro-
ceed north to Sargent Ave.
33. STRATHCONA CURLING CLUB
(NW comer Langside St. and Furby
Place). In 1934, the Strathcona Rink,
skipped by Leo Johnson, won the
Canadian curling championship, the
first time that an Icelandic curling rink
had captured the crown. Three of the
four members of the rink were Ice-
landic. The Strathcona Curling Club
was located on this site at that time.
Turn left (west) at Sargent Ave. and
drive west along this avenue very slowly.
For many people today, this is the district
they will remember best.
34. ICELANDIC DISTRICT cl905-1950
(Sargent Avenue area). Although Ice-
landers began to move into this general
area before the turn of the century (be-
ginning about 1894), it wasn’t until
after 1905 that it came into promi-
nence as the Icelandic district of Win-
nipeg. The main business and social
area of the district extended along
Sargent Ave., between Furby St. and
Dominion St. in general, and many
Icelanders resided on the streets run-
ning off Sargent in this area. Called a
number of names by the population,
such as “Icelandic Main Street” and
“Goolie Crescent”, Sargent remained
the centre for Icelandic cultural/reli-
gious/social activity in Winnipeg until
well after the end of the Second World
War — and even today retains some of
its past importance to the ethnic com-
munity. Those who grew up in this
area will remember such spots as the
Wevel Cafe, the Rose Theatre, “Goolie
Hall”, the Falcon Rink and the many
Icelandic names which appeared on
the business signs along this street.
They will also remember the fact that
the Icelandic language was once heard
on this avenue more often than any
other tongue — including English!!
35. TABERNACLE CHURCH 1894-1914
(SW comer Furby st. and Sargent
Ave.). Established and built in 1894
to minister to the Icelanders south of
Notre Dame Ave., this was an Ice-
landic Lutheran congregation with a
tradition of dissenting from the main-
stream of Lutheran theology. Although
it did belong to the Icelandic Lutheran
Synod for a short time (1905-09), it
spent the majority of its life “outside
the fold”. This church building, their
first, seated about 500 people. In 1914,
they erected a new church at 580 Vic-
tor St., then and now the most impres-
sive Icelandic church in Winnipeg. It
was later acquired by the First Lutheran
congregation (1921).
36. UNITARIAN CHURCH 1904-21 (SE
comer Sherbrook St. and Sargent Ave.).
Now a Baptist Church, this was the
second home of the Icelandic Uni-
tarian congregation in Winnipeg, and