In 1925 Almanak in Winnipeg published a brief article by Margrét Jónsdóttir, better known as Margrét J. Benedictsson. The article was part of the Almanak´s History of Icelandic settlements in North America. Below is a translation from the book ICELANDERS on the Pacific Coast published by The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle in 2004. The translators were Baird Bardarson, Theodore R. Beck, Arna Garðarsdóttir, Willard Larson, Arni Magnusson and Sverrir H. Magnusson.
Point Roberts
“In the northwestern corner of the United States there is a spit of land, of modest size, named Point Roberts. It is in Whatcom County, Washington State, around 3 miles long and 1-2 miles wide. It is fixed to Canada, but separated from mainland USA. The closest town is Ladner, on the Canadian side, about 10 miles from the post office. It would have been a matter-of course for the Point Roberts inhabitants to buy their daily needs from Ladner, if it were not for the inhibiting tariff laws. Accordingly, they got their merchandise from Blaine, the closest town on the US side. The distance is 14 miles, crossing the Boundary Bay, and in the first years the farmers went there by small boats. When regular postal service was established, three times a week, the situation improved considerably. The land route from Point Roberts to Blaine is 36 miles, almost exclusively on the Canadian side.
A Spit of Land -Description
“Point Roberts is a rounded ridge, with the highest point on the eastern side, a little tilted all the way west to the shoreline. In the southwest there is a lowland, around sea level in the lower parts. In front of it there is a gravel ridge, piled by the ocean, once protecting the lowland from the tide. Around 1912 the ridge crumbled in great storms and most of the lowland was flooded, leaving it unusable for 2-3 years. Consequently, the farmers built a staunch dike along the coastline where it is lowest, shielding the lands thereafter. The construction was costly, the expenses being lent from the authorities and then repaid by the farmers. In the east the spit rises high above the sea, with a steep coast that is difficult to traverse. In the early days of settlement, the eastern residents walked along the beaches, and in order to get to and from the shoreline they built ladders. Among them is the “99 step ladder”, inside Helgi Þorsteinsson’s land. It is easy to imagine how strenuous it has been to carry everything up and down these ladders. Nowadays there are good roads all across the spit, and there is no need to walk the beaches except for recreation. This ladder is now conserved, not for practical reasons, but as a keepsake of the time when there was no other way. The forest was so vast and dense, that it was virtually impassable. This compelled the people to use the beach for travelling, until the forests were cleared for roads.”
View from the Point
“The view from this side of the spit is outstanding, all the more beautiful as you walk east and sense the majestic height, overlooking isles and straits on the gulf known as Puget Sound. Many of those isles are considerably high. Between them the ships traffic and can easily be watched from all over the spit. To the west is the southern part of Vancouver Island, visible in clear weather. To the east and southeast are the mainland Cascade Mountains, with endless mounts and passes from the north and south of the highest point, Mt. Baker. From the mountain ridge there is a wavy incline towards the shore. To the north are the lofty Vancouver Mountains, some of their highest points covered with snow. The panorama around Point Roberts is thus truly splendid, snowy mountains, varied lowland and islands. Not forgetting the sea itself, full of salmon and other fish, right up to the shoreline. There was a time when the gulf had the look of a metropolis, when all the dragnet boats had lit their lanterns, fishing salmon in the wee autumn. It is not surprising that the Icelanders chose this little spot. They have fared well, but behind their fortune lies arduous work. Today, the community thrives and is one of the most attractive Icelandic settlements on the Pacific coast.”
Commerce
“No doubt the abundance of fish around the spit has allured people to move there. It was a treasure for the majority of the inhabitants, in the beginning and even so today, although the business has rather changed. Formerly, individuals fished the salmon and operated their own business, boats, nets and other necessities, several even selling their fish. Initially, two companies were established on the spit, Alaska Packers Association (A.P.A.) and George & Barker Salmon, Packing Co. These two companies expanded rapidly, and in a few years the individual entrepreneurs had given up their businesses. On the other hand, the companies employed a large number of people, especially while the salmon was still packed by hand. Then, the women packed salmon into cans, receiving 2-3 cents for the crate, each holding 24 cans. They could earn from $5.00 to $10.00 for a whole day’s work. Some men worked day and night to oversee the salmon traps, while others worked on steamboats, emptying the traps and discharging the salmon on the pier. Then workers ashore gutted the fish and fed the cutting machines, that sliced the fish into pieces suitably sized for the cans.”
Icelandic Settlement
“Icelandic settlement on Point Roberts began in 1893. Then some Icelanders were in Bellingham and many places on the coast. Originally, the US federal government had not intended the spit to be settled, but to accommodate a military base. When the Icelanders first arrived, there were already a few American settlers, some of them with families, others solitary. These people had settled here and there within the dense forest. On the western side of the spit there is an old store and a post office, as well as a school and a community center, jointly owned by the Icelandic and American settlers. The latter had not lived in Point Roberts for long before the Icelanders arrived, and had not necessarily planned to permanently settle there. At least their constructions were minor, log cabins of poor quality and sometimes small clearings around them. When the Icelanders arrived and wanted to purchase lands, the American settlers sold shares of their lands, seemingly without much care. The Icelanders paid for the lands, although they could not be certain about their right to retain them. Soon, they started to write petitions to Washington about allocating the area to settlement. In spite of the poor responses, they continued improving the land and built homes, as preparing to spend their lives there, while sending petition after petition. Finally, the government commissioned a man, named Elliot, to assess their case. This man sympathized with the settlers, and in 1908 the spit was allocated to settlement, granting priority to those already residing.”
The Society on the Point
“The inhabitants of Point Roberts have always been highly sociable. The oldest association is the Reading Club, in which most of the older families, along with some of the younger ones participate. The library is quite large and well managed. The Lutheran congregation is populous, and the fund-raising events are well attended. Now they own a lovely and spacious church, which was bought when the funds were just about sufficient to pay for the construction without taking loans. The Salomons donated the highly appropriate site. The people living on the spit, not originated from Iceland, have never established any comparable associations. Instead, they join the Icelanders in their events, some have even attended Icelandic services, and occasionally the ministers deliver sermons in English. The Icelanders have fully participated in local administration, and their input has been praised by their colleagues. Point Roberts is one of the most successful and attractive of the Icelandic settlements, although modest in size, with its splendid inhabitants. There are possibly wealthier communities around, but scarcely one with more all-around prosperity.”
Marina on Point Roberts. Photo Marinas.com