The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.2003, Síða 31

Vol. 57 #4
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
167
Icelandic heritage, but became an excellent
citizen of Canada.
- Taken from the Government of
Canada website: www.collections.ic.gc.ca
Letter # 1 - To Jon Bjarnason
Toronto, Nov. 14, 1874
Most Honourable Friend:
I thank you very much for your letter
which I received yesterday (it had been at
the P. O. for four days). I was really glad
to get your letter and to learn that your are
well. I also appreciated your interest in
our countrymen who have moved to this
country. I only wish that we had more
patriots, like yourself, among us, but
unfortunately that is not the case, at all.
You asked me to tell you about the
Icelanders in Canada, and I shall do my
best to do so. Last August, 111 people
moved from Iceland to Ontario, and in
addition to these 14 more arrived, i.e. 125
in all. Of these (125) 23 people have moved
to the States, but six have passed away,
maybe more. According to this reckoning
96 - out of those who came last year - are
here. In addition to this group one person
has been here since the summer of 1872. In
August of this year, a man with his wife
and four children came here from the
southern part of Iceland. The majority of
these 103 Icelanders stay in Muskoka in
Parry Sound, Rosseau and surroundings,
and a few live here in Toronto. Only 2 or
3 farmers have broken land and built hous-
es for themselves, but I don’t know how
successful their farming is. All others work
as hired hands, some in saw mills, some in
factories or have other odd jobs; most are
farm hands. The Icelanders who came here
in September of last year are 352, most of
these came from counties of: Skagafjordur,
Eyjafjordur, and Pingeyjar.
The State Government of Ontario
asked Sigtryggur Jonasson from
Skjaldarvik in Eyjafjar County (he had
been here for two years) to meet these
Icelanders at Quebec. He accompanied
them to Toronto. A few bachelors were
immediately engaged in digging ditches in
the country and maids (or women servants)
were assisted in finding jobs, but the
majority of this group stayed for two
weeks in Emigrant House. Then they were
transferred to a small town, Kinmount,
which is 120 miles northeast of here.
Houses are being built in Kinmount in
which the Icelanders will live during the
winter. The Government is going to pro-
vide Icelanders with land in the vicinity of
Kinmount and to give them steady jobs
with the railroad. This railroad is to con-
nect Lake Ontario to the Pacific Line,
crossing the district where the Icelanders
are supposed to live.
There are very few stores north there,
making it difficult to get food and other
necessities. In order to improve this situa-
tion, Sigtryggur Jonasson (along with a
Canadian) established a business there -
selling to the Icelanders everything that
they need. I had correspondence with a
fellow north there, bringing me a lot of
unpleasant news.
At first housing was insufficient, the
people became ill with stomach problems
and other illnesses, and 20 died—mostly
children and teenagers. The reason why
this illness struck is probably poor housing
I>j6draeknisfelag Islendinga f Vesturheimi
PRESIDENT: SIGRID JOHNSON
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