The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2008, Page 8

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 62 #1
A Tribute to the Fishers of Lake Winnipeg
The Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre in Gimli Manitoba was officially opened in 1999.
The building, located at the mouth of the harbor was once a B.C. Packers fish packing
plant. The Centre is the community focus that gives a physical description of the lake and
tells the stories of the lake’s fishery and the fishermen.
The exhibits include several information posters, a 500-gallon fish aquarium, a 35 foot
1940s era whitefish boat and a mini-diorama depicting the evolution of ice fishing on Lake
Winnipeg. The natural history of the lake and the history of the fisheries are depicted
through a series of displays. The center also serves a dual function, in that it is the tourist
information center for Gimli and the surrounding area. It annually attracts between
10,000 and 11,000 visitors in the three and one half months it is open from the end of May
to the September long weekend and it is open by request year round for tour and confer-
ence groups.
Over the last few years, several fishing families in the area have made major donations
to the New Iceland Heritage Museum, specifically to ensure that their history will be pre-
served. In October 2007, the New Iceland Heritage Museum unveiled the “People of the
Lake” wall at the Lake Winnipeg Visitors Centre. There were six fishing families that
unveiled their history. These six families were the Isfeld Family of Winnipeg Beach, the
Sigurdson Family of Hnausa and Riverton, the Kristjanson, Olson, Solmundson, and J.B.
Johnson and L. Stevens families all of Gimli.
In October 2008, a large crowd gathered at the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre to
honor two new fishing families for their contribution to the New Iceland Heritage
Museum. The Benson and the Goodman families of Gimli were both recognized and their
histories were added to the “People of the Lake” wall. Plans are in place to add the
Peterson family of Gimli as well. One of the features of the “People of the Lake” mural
is an excerpt from Eric Goodman’s poem “Season to Season” which is reproduced here.
- Catherine Robertson, October, 2008