Gísli Ólafsson lived well in Winnipeg, his two-story house was built of stone in 1895 on William Ave. Photo: Historic Sites of Manitoba
Gísli Ólafsson became interested in agriculture at a young age, got to know the farmers in N. Þingeyjarsýslá and helped the farmers as best he could. He went to Scotland in 1885 to learn from Scottish farmers and stayed there for a year. He returned to Iceland but had a short stay there because he moved west to Canada with his parents in 1886. They settled in Winnipeg where Gísli worked at whatever was offered. Agriculture was always his passion and he began to learn about farming, grain production, and the sale of agricultural products. He opened a special produce store, trading in flour and fodder from 1889. He was successful and was admitted to the grain merchants’ association and was the first Icelander to become a member of the city’s merchants’ association. In 1901, he built a large storefront in the city’s main shopping district, called the Olafson Block. The building was made of stone and cost between $60 – 70 thousand. dollars. There were 18 apartments on the upper floors, but Gísli used the ground floor for his shop.
English version by Thor group.