Below is an article by the Historian, Wilhelm Kristjanson in Manitoba, Canada. It was published in the 1967 summer issue of The Icelandic Canadian.
HELGI EINARSSON – a pioneer of the Interlake District.
“Among the pioneers of the northern Interlake district of Manitoba Helgi Einarsson was distinctive. He lived and worked and made history in the Interlake area for a matter of seventy years. He was a pioneer, a trail-breaker, independent-spirited, an innovator, and he was highly esteemed. Einarsson was born in Iceland in 1870. In early childhood he learned the meaning of work and responsibility, watvhing over the sheep at night and helping in the fall sheep roundup. In his youth he lived in the world of books, reading avidly all he could lay his hands on, at home and on loan in the community. ,,I read nearly all the Icelandic sagas, all the sagas of the Norwegian kings, the Icelandic folk stories, the Arabian Nights, and much more,” he later recalled. As a boy of eleven and twelve he gave much thought to religion and was already well-versed in the Bible. most of the teachings of the New Testament he liked, but not the teachings of the Old Testament. He came to the conclusion that if God created people only to send them directly to Hell, he was unjust and he would have naught of Him. ,,When summoned into his presence, I would scold Him for all He had done so that He would have to expel me.” Helgi received his formal education from an itinerant teacher who visited the home a few times, a month at a time. The young pupil made speedy progress in arithmetic and geography, learning the locations of the countries of the world and a good measure of information about each.”
Emigration – early years in Manitoba
“The family emigrated to Canada in 1887, arriving in Winnipeg in July of that year. The father’s capital then amounted to $280. Together with three others, the family proceeded to Lundar, where the first Icelandic settler in that district had just commenced building his log house. In the fall the 17-year old youth, with 12 others, went north on Lake Manitoba for fishing. A Canadian farmer and store-keeper, William Sifton, was then located at the Narrows. He received the newcomers hospitably and at Christmas the Sifton family sent over choice food to the fishermen’s camp. Warm friendship among the young people followed. Years later Einarsson said: ,,I have never met with people I liked so well”. During the first two years in Manitoba Einarsson engaged in the type of work familiar to many of the Icelandic Newcomers. In the summer he worked on the railroad, shoveled coal, cut cordwood, and worked at a sawmill. In winter he fished. At the sawmill at Baket Creek on Lake Manitoba he saw a good sample of the racial mixture in America. Of twelve employees there were three Norwegians, two Icelanders, One Englishman, one Scot, one Irishman, one American, one Canadian, one Australian and one Hungarian. Indians were employed in casual labor. Einarsson never learned race prejudice. In his first spring at the Narrows, an experience influenced Einarsson strongly. Discovering one day he was without flour, he went to the local store. The only flour in stock was the poorest grade, sold only to Indians. At the railroad this grade sold for one dollar a bag, but the price asked of him was five dollars. ,,I considered that this was the lowest price I ever paid for flour, for it taught me never to depend on others,” he said later.”
Indians – experiences in fish trade
,,In 1892 the local Indian agent engaged Einarsson as skipper on the boat he used conveying treaty money to Indians on Lakes Manitoba, St. Martin and Winnipegosis. This first acquaintance with the Indians was extensively developed in the years to come. In the early nineties Einarsson began to freight fish from the Narroes to Winnipeg, and to buy fish. This brought him into contact with important fish-dealers, including Hugh Armstrong of Portage la Prairie and W. J. Guest of Winnipeg. Abusiness association was built up that lasted for many years – in the case of Guest for forty years. He was well-regarded by these men and his credit was always good. Years later he was in sharp competition with Armstrong, for the latter represented the the big commercial fish companies and Einarsson was one of the few independent buyers who kept up the price of fish on Lake Manitoba. Armstrong he considered the keenest businessman he ever met. Often the big companies offered such low prices that Einarsson turned to selling personally on the market stands in Winnipeg and to small retail stores. In 1896, when times were hard and the sale of fish lagged, he took a quantity of fish accross the border to Grand Forks, Fargo and neighboring towns, and with vigorous canvassing disposed of all his supply. Dealing in fish soon eapanded into general store business and about the turn of the century Einarsson had stores at Fairford, Lake St. Martin. Sandy Bay, Little Saskatchewan and other places.”
Breaking new grounds
,,His trade was chiefly with Indians and his store-clerks were mainly Indian. Unfortunately for him, these gave credit too freely and were poor collectors. Einarsson himself had the same weakness. ,,I have had a great many opportunities to become rich, but I have been too conscious of the other fellow´s difficulties”, he said. ,,However, I have no regrets.” His tornover was impressive and he was thought to be wealthy, but such was far from being the case. In 1912 Einarsson had a large supply of fish on hand but the market was dull. Frozen fish was selling at two cents a pound by the carload. He then initiated a way of marketing fish hitherto untried in this part of the country, that of shipping unfrozen fish by express to New York. Shipping charges for unfrozen fish were fourteen cents a pound. At first Einarsson was laughed at but when the time came that he was able to outbid his competitors, Armstrong and others followed suit. Shortly only unfrozen fish was being shipped from Western Canada to the large American markets. Another innovation, this time in material for net-making, was initiated by Einarsson. With the outbreak of the First World War hemp came to be in short supply and available only at a high price. Einarsson harked back to his first year of fishing, when lacking funds he had used No.10 cotton thread to make his own. These had stood up as well as the hemp nets, if not better. He now decided to try cotton thread again. After extensive travel investigation, embracing Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Toronto, and interviews with many people who had no faith in cotton nets, he was able to place orders in Chicago, through backing of the firm of Diersen and Johnson in that city, with whom Einarsson had previously dealt. On this occasion Einarsson also visited Cincinnati, Pittsburg, New York and other places to promote the sale of fish. He was courteously received and shown marked hospitality by prominent company officials with whom he had dealt for many years.”
Icelandic contributions
,,Icelanders engaged in the fishing industry in Manitoba and have been instrumental in bringing about changes in regulations to benefit fishermen. Einarsson brought about several such improvements, notably the advancement of the opening date of the fishing season from December 15 to November 10. When the delegation which had been organized by him had made their presentation, the minister´s private secretary was asked if he knew Einarsson. He said yes, he knew him; he had caused him more trouble than any other man in the whole country. ,,When I write this”, said Einarsson in 1952, ,,it lacks but a month until I have been here sixty years. I have traded here nearly every year and I have a small store this winter. I make enough to break even and for food. After sixty years of trading the outcome is this: I have loaned on the average $800 a year which I have been unable to collect, and carry on my books uncollectable debts amounting to $40.000. But I am very well satisfied with life as it has been. I have, to quote the Bible, seen the riches of the world and their glory. I have known the poorest Indians in their log cabins in the wilderness and the homes of millionairies in the large cities of the United States. I have stayed in the finest hotels in the States and Canada, and slept on the floor of an Indian cabin, or camped in the woods with snow at my back and a fire in front and I have slept well.”
The end of the journey
,,Helgi Einarsson died in December, 1961, at the age of 91 years. His grave is high up oon the banks of the Dauphin River, overlooking the stream where it enters into Sturgeon Bay on Lake Winnipeg. His grave was dug by his friends, his pinewood coffin was nailed down by his sons, and his four sons carried the coffin to the grave. Said the service-station attendant at Gypsumville to the minister returning from the funeral which he had conducted: ,,So you were burying old Helgi Einarsson today. He was a good man and would have been wealthy if so many hadn´t stolen from him.” Three old-timers at Ashern who knew Einarsson personally have written: ,,Helgi never drank and would never have sold liquor to the Indians or to any other man who was under the influence of alchohol”. The money which Helgi Einarsson made sifted through his fingers, but he died having earned the high esteem of all who knew him.”