Gunnlaugur Vigfússon Photo: SÍND
Childhood in Iceland: Vigfús Pétursson built his home near Hákonarstaðir in Jökuldal and this is where his son Gunnlaugur took his first steps. He was in his third year when he lost his father who drowned in the river Jökulsá in Dal in the summer of 1862. Einar, his uncle and brother of his mother, bought most of the land and property in order to help his sister. He later moved there himself to help out with the farming. Later he married, bought Einarsstaðir in Vopnafjörður and moved there. A certain Jón Þorsteinsson then brought his livestock to Grund renting a part of the land. It goes without saying that Einar rescued the family from bankruptcy. Young Gunnlaugur was ten when he was sent to his uncle and namesake, Gunnlaugur, farmer at Hákonarstaðir. After some time he returned to Grund and became shepherd for Jón Þorsteinsson. At twelve years of age he left his home for the last time, went to his uncle Einar at Einarsstaðir where he stayed for three years. From there he moved to Magnus Mikkaelsson at Foss in Fossdalur where his mother and younger brother where staying. The above shows that little time was allotted for education for Gunnlaugur during his childhood. Nonetheless in his free time he learned to read and read everything he could lay his hands on. He was ten when he began to learn Danish, mostly by himself but he got some instruction from farmer Pall Jónsson at Merki in Jökuldalur for two weeks. It was not much but sufficient for him to start so he borrowed material in Danish and read, for example, two novels and in order to assist him in understanding what he read. He borrowed a small dictionary from Jón Gunnlaugsson at Eiríksstaðir. At the age of twelve he got by orally in Danish but now preparations for his confirmation was about to start with Vigfús Sigurðsson in Vopnafjörður. In total he spent some three weeks with Vigfús over the next two years which was most helpful. His knowledge in Danish was to come in handy later in life in North America.
In the West: Gunnlaugur Pétursson, his uncle, left Iceland in 1873 and headed west to Wisconsin. He stayed with a Norwegian farmer the next two years and along with him and a few more Norwegian families headed west to Minnesota where the Norwegians had heard that good land was available in the southwest corner of that State. Nordland was the name of the region Gunnlaugur settled in, naming his farm Hákonarstaðir thus becoming the first Icelander to homestead in Minnesota. He and the Norwegians managed well so Gunnlaugur wrote friends and family in Iceland and described the qualities of land available there. As a result, men in Jökuldalur began to contemplate emigration and Halldóra, hearing of this, paid attention. In those times people throughout the island were signing up for emigration as Agent Sigtryggur Jónasson was in Iceland to introduce the founding of New Iceland, encouraging reasonably well to do men and women to emigrate. With the help of Einar, her brother, Halldóra managed to sell Grund and the sale covered the cost of passage for her and the brothers Gunnlaugur and Pétur. The emigrants were divided into two groups, Halldóra and her sons were in the second group which numbered 700 emigrants. Einar succeeded in locating the tour guide, Halldór Briem, asking him to look after his sister who planned to go to Gunnlaugur in Nordland in Minnesota. The journey west went well, accident free with little delays until they reached Duluth in Minnesota. A delay of three days followed and the group stayed at an immigration shelter where young Gunnlaugur, then in his early teens, spotted a huge map hanging on a wall. It showed Minnesota and a large area to the north and west. After brief examination Gunnlaugur spotted Norland (later changed to Minneota) and realized straight away that it was nowhere near the route to Winnipeg to where the group was destined. He managed to get hold of tour guide, Halldor Briem, showed him the map and asked him to assist them in finding a convenient and cheap way there from Duluth as they had next to no money left. Halldor declined, claimed everybody´s travel document was to Winnipeg and from there to New Iceland. Disappointed with the guide´s response Gunnlaugur examines the map again, finds The Red River and Winnipeg pointing out to Halldór how ridiculous it would be to travel 500 miles in the opposite direction they had to their destination. Halldór´s reaction is of no help, maintaining the travel documents cannot be changed, everyone has to go to New Iceland, adding that all the luggage had now been shipped ahead of the group westward to Fisher’s Landing where a steamboat awaits the group. Halldor insisted he was way too busy with other things than listening to teenager’s nonsense. The tour guide’s irresponsible reply angered Gunnlaugur, demanding their travel documents, arguing that Halldor should be ashamed for his reaction as it was the worst advice a tour guide could give, to force them, mother and sons, with little or no knowledge of English, and almost without money to travel 500 miles out of their way north into a Canadian wilderness. He continued and asked if this was the kind of help he had promised his cousin Einar to offer his mother and her sons. And since they now had arrived to a free country he would not go anywhere but to their destination, regardless of what his mother and brother would do. And he could not care less if their luggage was gone, it was not worth much anyway. Out into the wilderness in Canada he would never be led. Gunnlaugur’s fellowcountrymen all felt the tour guide had reacted foolishly, all had heard Gunnlaugur and supported him wholeheartedly. Now, at this difficult moment unexpected help appeared when a group of Norwegians arrived. They had heard Icelanders were in town and so they were here to pay them a visit. Gunnlaugur did not hesitate, he turned to the leader of the visitors and addressed him in Danish. Now his knowledge of Danish came in handy as he managed to explain the situation. They took Halldór aside, spoke to him briefly after which he immediately handed over the three travel documents. Two days later, Rev. Páll Þorláksson arrived, looking for Gunnlaugur. He explained that changing the travel documents would not be a problem so they could be used for the journey to Nordland. This done, and their luggage back, they bid farewell to the group and headed south. They travelled for a week, through Minneapolis and New Ulm before they reached Hákonarstaðir at long last. Story has it they had $1.08 left of their travel money.
The map shows Hákonarstaðir by the Yellow Medicine River, the village Marshall and the town of Granite Falls.
Education-Occupation: Soon after his arrival in America it became apparent that Gunnlaugur strove for education and was prepared for some hard work. For room and board, he was hired by a Norwegian farmer and stayed with him until 1877. From there he went to another Norwegian on the banks of the Yellow Medicine River to help with preparing and seeding his fields for two weeks after which he wanted time to plan his future, wanted to further study the English language. He therefore looked for English-speaking farmers and found one living on a farm near the village of Marshall and this changed his luck. His job was to look after a herd of cattle for 5 months for $8.00 per month. He saved most of his money and landed a job in a restaurant in Marshall in the fall. He could attend a school in the village until Christmas but in the beginning of 1878, he was hired by Mr. M. O. Hall, editor of the newspaper Granite Falls Journal in the town, Granite Falls was some 60 km (37 miles) northeast of Hákonarstaðir. He managed to have a clause in his contract allowing him to attend school at least for three months a year. He completed his education in Granite Falls and landed a job through the winter of 1879 at the Minnesota Congress in the capital city St. Paul. The work was rewarding and well paid. In the spring of 1880, he completed his study and qualified for his Teachers Certificate and taught in a farming community during the summer but in the winter of 1881, he was a student in Decorah, Iowa where he finished High School. He started his university studies there and kept going until 1886, quit his studies there with two and a half years remaining. He moved to the Garðar Settlement in N. Dakota in 1886, got married and started a family. He taught in the community and had his own farm until 1899 when he was hired as Assistant Secretary at the District Court in Pembina County. He moved to Pembina where he was to live for a long time. He began studying Law around this time, got his degree in 1902 and opened his Law Office but continued his work at the District Court. In 1906 he was elected Secretary of the District Court and re-elected in 1908. Since 1910 he has worked at legal cases both in Garðar Settlement and Pembina County. In 1917 his main office in Pembina was destroyed in a fire as well as all his documents, books etc. he needed as a lawyer. Everyone realized his tremendous loss, a friend asked him if that had not been devastating experience. At that moment Gunnlaugur brought forth the Icelander within as he responded with a verse in a way Káinn would have liked:
Eldurinn mitt ,,Office” tók,
Alt varð þar að brenna
Nú á eg hvorki blað né bók
blýant eða penna.
The fire my office took
Everything had to burn
Now I neither have paper, book
Pencil or pen.
English version by Thor group.