The map shows the C.P.R. railway from Foam Lake west through Leslie, Elfros, Mozart, Wynyard, Kandahar and Dafoe. All those were part of the Lakes Settlement. Map Prairie Towns.
Of all the villages and towns south of the Quill Lakes in Saskatchewan, Elfros stood out as its´ inhabitants in the beginning were almost all Icelandic. The first families arrived in the so-called Elfros District in 1903 and in the following years, more and more families as well as individuals came to the area. By 1906 the total number of Icelandic settlers i.e., families and individuals, had reached 40. It was clear that a track by the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) would be laid through the settlement and a location for a station had been chosen and was opened in 1908. Icelandic businessmen moved in, and in that same year, Olafur O. Johannsson and John Hallgrimson Goodman opened a general store, Johannson & Company. John opened a post office in 1909 and managed it until 1916. He joined the Canadian Forces and went to fight in the War in Europe. His finacée, Sigthrudur Gudvaldsdottir stepped in and took care of the post office until John returned. Thomas Vatnsdal (Þórður Eggertsson), who was living in Wadena, opened a lumber yard in Elfros and hired Höskuldur Steinthorson to manage it. Icelanders were involved in business in Elfros for years and still are. They also participated in community affairs. Thordur Arnason was elected the first reeve in the newly incorporated Rural Municipality of Elfros in 1910 and was succeeded by several fellow countrymen in years to come.
Icelandic Congregation: Quite a few employees of the C.P.R. were of Scottish origin and were Presbyterians while the Icelanders were Lutherans. Both established congregations but neither had necessary means for the construction of a church. They decided to join forces and built a church they called The Union Church which was consecrated at a joint ceremony. Icelanders in America obviously were affected by the various religious movements in the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The history of Icelanders in North America in those times is marked by controversies dating as far back as 1875, when New Iceland was established in Manitoba. Rev. Runolfur Fjelsted lived in Leslie for a few years and served Icelandic congregations in Saskatchewan until 1908. Later, pastors from Manitoba, N. Dakota, and Minnesota visited the communities and two would normally be in the Lakes Settlement (Vatnabyggð) at the same time, one serving the Lutherans while the other served the Unitarians.
The artist hired teenage Icelanders to pose for this monument.
Monument in Elfros: A remarkable monument is in Elfros, commemorating the settlements of Icelanders in Saskatchewan. The monument represents the foundation of a typical, Icelandic rural community home, a husband and his wife who were more than just farmers. The emigrants from Iceland may not have left with many worldly possessions but they brought with them centuries-old heritage which they strove to transplant in North America. Every emigrant had at one point sat in the old sod house listening to a reading, reciting of poetry, or singing of songs. The homes in the Lakes Settlements were also cultural centers where reading aloud was a frequent occurrence as well as reciting poetry and singing.
