What do grasshoppers have to do with it?
What do grasshoppers have to do with it?
It is an interesting fact that grasshopper considerations were at the top of the list concerning a location for Icelandic settlement in Canada where our Icelandic Canadian story begins.
“In 1872, Sigtryggur Jonasson travelled to the Muskoka region of Ontario and a group of 100 Icelanders later joined him there. Not satisfied with their settling attempts in Ontario, the Icelanders moved west to Manitoba and established the first lasting Icelandic colony on the continent. The capital of “New Iceland,” now called Gimli, was established in 1878 and had its own administration and constitution—a unique endeavour in the history of settlement in Canada.” – Library and Archives Canada
“The delegates were at once favorably impressed with the Red River country, although it did not look very inviting in the neighborhood of Winnipeg at the time they arrived, the grasshoppers having eaten up almost every green thing.
After having seen the country round Winnipeg and made enquiries about the different sections within a radius of one hundred miles or so, the delegates decided to go to Lake Winnipeg and examine the west shore of that vast inland sea.
Their reasons for fixing on that part of the country were as follows:
- They thought that the grasshoppers would not be as likely to do damage to crops in that region as on the prairie;
- There was abundant building timber and fuel in that section;
- There was a waterway from that section to Winnipeg;
- There was abundance of fine fish in the lake;
- A large tract of land could be obtained there as an Icelandic reserve without interfering with other settlers;
- The main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway was supposed to cross the Red River at the present site of the town of Selkirk, and would not be far from a settlement on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipeg.
The delegates proceeded to Lake Winnipeg in a York boat, supplied by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and had for a guide the late Mr. Joseph Monkman from St. Peters. After examining- portions of the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, as far as time would allow, and finding that the soil was of good quality they selected there a site for an Icelandic colony, commencing at the southern boundary of township 18 and running north along the shore a distance of 36 miles – together with Big Island – and christened the tract selected “New Iceland,” the same being now included in the Municipality of Gimli.”
Mr. Sigtryggur Jónasson, editor of The Lögberg
Exerpt: Presentation to Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society, City Hall, Winnipeg, on Friday, 22 March, 1901
Join us to celebrate our Icelandic roots and the Canadian routes of generations across this country with an assembly of Icelanders and Icelandic enthusiasts inspired by culture, sagas, songs and feasting on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at the Latvian Centre in Toronto.
We’re planning an expansive all-ages entertainment program; a fundraising auction supporting youth scholarships; and a food menu showcasing our preserved and reimagined customs and traditions (no grasshoppers) along with our community’s love of gathered family, friends, and abundant food and drink.
Members Buy your Þorrablót Tickets
Non ICCT Member Buy your Þorrablót Tickets
Þorrablót TorontoÞing 2017 is about celebrating our relatedness and diversity, as well as our individual and shared journeys of thriving in new and wonderous places and adapting to whole new ways of living. This is where we will meet to bring together the life force of the roots and branches of our mighty community family tree and connect through the storied routes of settlement across Canada. Join us as we unite to honour where we’ve come from, who we are, where we are headed and what living in this wonderful country of Canada has meant to all of us.
Buy your Early Þorrablót TorontoÞing 2017 Tickets before February 17! We are excited about seeing you on April 8!
Þorrablót TorontoÞing 2017 Saturday, April 8
THE LATVIAN CENTRE 4 Credit Union Drive. Toronto, ON, M4A2N8
Starters – Forréttir, Cash Bar 6:00 PM Icelandic Canadian Buffet – Hlaðborð 7:30 PM Free Parking
Buy Member Tickets: https://www.icct.info/
Non-Member Tickets: https://www.icct.info/
Ticket inquiries: Lynne Thorkelsson treasurer@icct.