When we talk about the Icelandic colony in North Dakota, we usually mean the area in Pembina County, where the majority of the settlement is bounded by the Red River in the east and the so-called Pembina Mountains in the west. The northern boundary laid on barren sand dunes, but to the south the boundary was at the northern branch of the Park River. The eastern edge of the colony was forested.
Mountain: The settlement formed where the village of Mountain is now located was originally called Víkur. It is clear from the name that the land rises there somewhat and the land cuts itself in an arc into this hill. In the spring, when the snow melted and it rained heavily, this area was filled with water and reminded the settlers of the Icelandic bay. In 1881 a post office was opened on the hill called Mountain. On the hill also stands Víkur church. The Víkur congregation was formed in 1880 and the church was built in 1884.
Thingvalla Settlement: The settlement that was formed between Mountain and Garður was named Eyford, named after Jakob Sigurðsson from Kristnes in Eyjafjörður. He took the last name Eyfjörð (Eyford) in the west and took over the post office in the area. The Thingvalla Settlement or just Thingvalla then became the name of the whole countryside between Mountain and Garðar, Víkur and Eyford merged into one settlement. Þorlákur Gunnar Jónsson and his sons were the first to claim land on the hill and the name Víkur came from them in 1879. They were the first to sell their land in the Icelandic settlement in Shawano County in Wisconsin and move from there west to N. Dakota.
Garðar: Stephan G. Stephansson moved to N. Dakota in 1880 and settled in the so-called Park Settlement together with others who came from Wisconsin. They added to the group of new settlers from all over. This led to a gathering of the settlers to discuss the future issues of the new settlement such as postal concerns. A meeting was called early in 1882 in Eirik Hjálmarsson’s house (who took the last name Bergmann); it was considered best in the countryside for such an event as it was more or less central in the area. Eirík was elected chairman of the meeting while Stephan G. served as secretary. When the postal issues came up on the agenda and the idea was put forward to open a post office in the area, discussions became lively and the proposal to open a post office was approved unanimously. The participants were then asked to propose a name and there were few answers. Above all, Stephan wanted to get an Icelandic name, he wanted everyone to know in the future that this had been an Iceland settlement, that the first settlers in this area had been Icelandic. He said that he had Garðar Svavarsson’s name in mind, he thought Garðar was being shown little honor in Iceland. The name was short and did not distort anything in the mouth of an English speaker who would probably change the ð to d. The president of the meeting then suggested Geysir and Ólafur Ólafsson from Espihóll suggested Bergmann, but Stephan pointed out that it was forbidden for the names of the post office and the postmaster to be the same. (It had been agreed that the post office would be in Eirík Bergmann’s home.) The meeting attendees were then asked to vote, but the vote margins were narrow, and the chairman of the meeting seemed unclear regarding a winner. It was then agreed to write the names of each of each suggestion on slips of paper. The secretary took care of the work and put the slips in the hat of one of the meeting guests. Then the chairman of the meeting undertook to blindly draw one of the tickets and did so, whereupon Garðar was selected. The first Icelandic congregation was formed in Garðar in 1880. In 1885, a second congregation was formed.
Hallson Settlement: The Tongue River flows east and somewhat north in the colony and on its banks early settlements formed. At first it was called Tunguárbyggð (Tongue River Settlement) and in 1881 a post office was established there called Coulee Post Office. In 1883 it was closed, but another was put on the land of Jóhann P. Hallsson and it was called Hallson. From then on, people stopped talking about Tunguárbyggð (Tongue River) and the settlement got the name Hallson or Hallsonbyggð. A congregation was formed in early 1881 and was called Tunguársöfnuður (Tongue River congregation). They split in 1886 into the Hallson and Vídalín congregations.
Fjalla Settlemnt was described as the area from Olga in the north, south to Montrose, west of Gardar.
Fjalla Settlement: To the west of Hallson in the so-called Pembina Mountains, Icelanders occupied land from 1881. This settlement was soon named after the mountains and was called the Fjalla Settlement. Many went there in the following years and the settlement grew somewhat south all the way to Montrose until the turn of the century. Some two hundred people were in the settlement at its peak, and in 1884 a congregation was formed and church was built in 1894. A reading society was founded in 1889 and a women’s society in 1892. For a long time, there were no settlements west and south of Fjalla, but around the turn of the century Icelanders settled near the town of Munich in the districts of Gordon and Henderson.
Svold: The village east of Fjalla and north of Hallson was called Svold because the post office that was built there was called Svold.
Sand Hill Settlement: The area halfway between Hallson and Mountain was in some places quite undulating, you could even call the hills waves, but the land was sandy. Therefore, the community that formed there was called the Sand Hill Settlement (Sandhæðabyggð). To the northeast of this area was the home of Stígur Þorvaldsson from Kelduskógar in Berufjörður, and a post office was set up there quite early in the settlement period, which was called Akra, and the immediate vicinity was given that name.
Grafton: In 1880, a few Icelanders settled in the countryside east of the town of Grafton. At that time, there was no town where it is today, there stood only one log house. Those who first settled in the area in question were Aðalmundur Guðmundsson, the brothers, Ólafur and Aðaljón Guðmundsson and Jón, Benjamín and Stefán Sigurðsson. During the settlement period, the number of farms around Grafton increased and village gradually formed. Quite a few Icelandic families chose to settle in the village, which led to the formation of a congregation and the establishment of a church. The social life of Icelanders was lively and was attended by farmers from nearby settlements. As the years passed, the number of Icelanders in town decreased, many sought refuge in the countryside while others emigrated from the state.
Glasston: More than 30 km (18.5 miles) east of Mountain is Glasston, a small town formed by a railway station in 1886. Very few Icelanders settled in the surrounding countryside but sought services in the village.
Churches and congregations: Icelanders had not been in the West for long when they realized that neither the United States nor Canada had national churches like Iceland. In the West, they had to take matters into their own hands, form congregations, build churches, and hire a priest or pastor. To begin with, these small congregations operated completely independently, operating as an independent congregation. Since more than one congregation sometimes formed in an Icelandic settlement, such as in New Iceland, small denominations were formed and congregations belonged to these denominations.
Reverend Jón Bjarnason formed a congregation and all belonged to his church, and Reverend Páll Þorláksson did the same thing. The role model of the pastors was the very powerful Norwegian church, The Norwegian Synod, which was primarily active in the United States. More ethnic groups in the United States formed such religions, e.g. Germans. Reverend Páll Þorláksson led his congregation from New Iceland south to North Dakota, where his new congregations were formed. In her book “The History of Icelanders in N. Dakota” Þórstína Þorleifsdóttir discusses the church affairs of the area, let’s give her the word: “The first Icelandic service in Pembina County was performed on a weekday in the house of the Icelandic friend, Butler Olson, on December 5, 1878, by Reverend Páll, but he did not try to establish a congregation at that time; and it was not until the autumn of 1880 that he raised the issue of forming a congregation, but he had performed services at that time in three places in the settlement, in Vík, Garðar and by Tunguá. The first meeting for this purpose was held at Garðar on November 24, 1880. Reverend Páll chaired the meeting, while the poet Stephan G. Stephansson was the scribe. Attendees were: E. H. Bergmann, Jón Bergmann, Benedikt Jónsson Bardal, Jón Brandsson, Jón Hallgrímsson, Grímur Þórðarson, Árni Thorleifson, Jón Jónsson, Grímur Einarsson, Hallgrímur Gíslason, Kristinn Ólafsson, Sigurgeir Björnsson, Gísli Dalmann. The members of the meeting mostly approved the congregational law of Reverend Páll from New Iceland and called Reverend Páll as the pastor. Then he was promised a salary and received $50.00.”
The process above is interesting and describes well how the settlers in the West approached forming a congregation. First, a meeting is called in the area and the main settlers attended. The future parish pastor is present at the meeting, which more than likely is called by him. Reverend Páll from New Iceland passed the church law, which was approved “for the most part”. It is likely that some men like Stephan G. Stephansson found it difficult to accept that women did not have the right to vote in Reverend Páll’s congregations. Attendees call Rev. Páll to serve as their pastor who publicly accepts the call. At the end of the meeting, the participants guarantee the pastor’s annual salary.
When congregations were formed without a pastor being attached to a new congregation, a call had to be sent to someone as a probable candidate to come to the settlement and serve as the parish pastor. Sometimes congregations worked for years without having a permanent parish pastor, and they had to accept the annual visits of a pastor from another community. But Reverend Páll was skillful and energetic this year in N. Dakota, the Icelandic settlement grew at a surprising rate and now it was time for the next meeting. Þórstína writes:
The church in Hallson was built in 1897 on the land of Jóhann P. Hallsson. In 1899 a church meeting was held in Hallson and the church was consecrated that day. Jóhann did not live to experience the dedication, he died a few days before and was buried on the day of the dedication. Photo Pembina County Historical Society.
“A congregation meeting was held at Mountain on November 30, 1880. Reverend Páll chaired the meeting, while his father, Þorlákur Jónsson, was the scribe. Those present at the meeting: Haraldur Thorláksson, Jón Thorláksson, Pétur Sigurðsson, Jónas Kortsson, Sigurður Árnason, Guðmundur Jóhannesson, Sigurður Jónsson, Jón Davíðsson, Gísli Jónsson, Sigurgeir Björnsson, Sigurbjörn Hansson, Hreggviður Sigurðsson, Björn Einarsson, Benedikt Ólafsson, Bjarni Dalsted, Árni Jónsson, Thorsteinn Thorláksson, Jósep Guðmundsson, Hallgrímur Hólm, Sigurður Jakobsson, Sveinbjörn Jóhannesson, Tryggvi Ingimundarson Hjaltalín, Hans Níelsson, Sveinn Sveinsson, Halldór Þorgilsson, Björn Illugason, Sigurður Kráksson, Guðmundur Guðmundsson, Ólafur Ólafsson, Baldvin Helgason and Thorlákur Jónsson. It was agreed to form a congregation, and services were to be held three times a month. People signed up for $95.00 as a salary to the pastor, and Rev. Páll’s church law was approved.”
This meeting was attended by more settlers as this community was the most populous and the home of the pastor’s family; at the meeting were his two brothers as well as his father. It was Christmas and the new year was approaching. The next meeting was called at the beginning of the year, 1881. Þórstína writes: “On the 2nd of January in 1881 a congregation meeting was held in Jóhann P. Hallsson’s house by Tunguá, and it was agreed to establish a congregation, and people signed up for $55.00 for a pastor. Reverend Páll was the president and Pálmi Hjálmarsson the scribe. Those present at the meeting: Jón Hörgdal, Gísli Egilsson, Jónatan Halldórsson, Jóhannes Jónasson, Gunnar Jóhannsson Hallsson, Jósep Schram, Sölvi Sölvason, Jakob Jónsson, Sigfús Ólafsson, Ólafur Jónsson, Sigurður Jósúa Björnsson, Tómas Kristjánsson, Jóhann P. Hallsson.”
Reverend Páll succeeded in his mission to establish a new Icelandic settlement in North Dakota and forms congregations. It was a difficult year for him because his health was deteriorating. He and his closest knew that when summer had passed, autumn had arrived, and winter was expected, his days would be numbered sooner rather than later.
Reverend Páll Þorláksson: Páll came west on behalf of a small group from Eyrarbakki in 1872 and he travelled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From day one, he made an effort to get to know a new society in America so that his prospective countrymen would have the clearest picture and be reasonably prepared for a journey west. He was true and loyal to his countrymen for the first decade, whether in Canada or the United States. Ordained a pastor in 1875, he began to consider the religions of his country, founding the first Icelandic congregation in Shawano County, Wisconsin in 1875. His other congregations were established in New Iceland, and finally the above-mentioned congregations in N. Dakota. Þórstína Þorleifsdóttir describes the circumstances in Mountain in Víkur when Reverend Páll died: On March 1, 1882, Dakota was hit by the great adversity of having to learn of the passing of its leader, both spiritually and secularly, Rev. Páll Thorláksson, that day after a long illness. Due to bad weather, his funeral did not take place until April 12. A Norwegian pastor, Kristján Flaten, gave a speech in Norwegian, while Reverend Páll’s brother, Níels Steingrímur, in Icelandic. Despite the immobility and harshness of the weather, a large number of settlers had gathered there, sadly saying goodbye to the one who had put his body and soul to make way for them. Four Icelandic children were baptized at the coffin of Reverend Páll. They were: Jónína Guðný, daughter of Hans Níelsson and Guðbjörg Gísladóttir; Páll Bjarnason, son of Bjarni Bjarnason from Víðidalur in Fljótum and Gróa Jónsdóttir; Carl Alexander, son of Jón Finnbogason and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir;, and Jóhanna, daughter of Indriður Sigurðsson and Sigurbjörg Kristjánsdóttir. Rev. Páll had sought to have the congregations in Dakota call Rev. Hans Thorgrimsen, a graduate of the St. Paul’s seminary in St. Louis in 1882, and a letter of call was sent to him from Víkursöfnuður the same year. He accepted it, but because of a trip to Iceland, he did not come to Mountain until August 1883. In the minutes of the meeting of Víkursafnaður from 1883 it is recorded that a congregation meeting was held in Mountain, and thirty men and women signed up for the congregation. They were Friðbjörn Björnsson, Jón Einarsson, Halldór Reykjalín, Jón Björnsson, Indriði Sigurðsson, Jón Jónsson, Jón Níelsson, Sigfús Jónsson, Tryggvi Ingimundarson, Guðmundur Guðmundsson, Jóhann Stefánsson, Ólafur Ólafsson, Magnús Jónsson, Thorlákur Björnsson, Kristján Sigurðsson, Sigurður Reykfjörð , Guðbjörg Sveinsdóttir, Thorsteinn Thorláksson, Jón Hörgdal, Jón Jónsson (from Mæri), Björn Einarsson, Jón Finnbogason, Guðmundur Eiríksson, Hans Níelsson, Jóhanna Skaptadóttir, Friðbjörn Sigurðsson and Thorlákur G. Jónsson.
Clever readers will notice the names of the three women in the list above and may think that this is a mistake, namely that women did not have the right to vote in Reverend Páll’s congregations. This was not done out of contempt for women but because of the rules of settlement. It is interesting that in the minutes of the congregations and associations of Icelanders in the early settlement years, there is without exception, talk of fathers!! It was the husband, the father of the family, who took over the land and was registered for it. He was therefore able to participate in the founding of congregations because the founders of the congregation pledged their property for a separate payment to the parish priest. But it happened that a woman went west and took land, e.g., Jóhanna Skaptadóttir and Elín (Elína) Jónasdóttir lost their husbands in Winnipeg and moved south to Víkur in N. Dakota and settled near Mountain. Both were therefore responsible with their lands for payments to the parish pastor.
Víkur Church in Mountain. The cemetery in question next door. The higher tombstone marks the grave of Reverend Páll. Photo JÞ.
Víkur Church: Reverend Páll Þorláksson took land where the village of Mountain stands and gave the land for a church and cemetery. In the parish book of the Vikur congregation (Víkursafnaður) in 1883 it says in one place: The graveyard, which has been measured out and given to the congregation, shall stand, and men according to their means shall adorn it and fix it. The reason for this is that the man whom the Lord used as a tool to establish this church has given the field in question, and even dedicated it with his own flesh, along with many others, who have followed him along the same path. For these reasons, the Committee is of the opinion that the congregation should maintain this spot and adorn it in memory of the deceased predecessor, and as a sign that the congregation did not consider his work built on the wind, according to his own fleshly motives, but that he, with all his heart and all his will, according to his mental knowledge, had pursued his pursuits according to the will and commandments of the Lord.
Haraldur Thorláksson, Björn Einarsson, Friðbjörn Björnsson”
The church was built in Mountain in 1884 and was 28 feet wide and 46 feet long. The building was magnificent and costly. In order to complete the work, the congregation borrowed $1,000.00 from a Norwegian merchant, Harald Thorson, and several farmers took responsibility for the loan and mortgaged their homesteaded lands to get it done. The merchant was anything but helpful to the settlers in the colony. Let us look at what Þórstína Þorleifsdóttir wrote about that man: “Gradually, small patches of farm land began to appear, which soon expanded. People first sowed them by hand, but soon it became necessary to get hay mowers and work animals, such as oxen and horses. Unfortunately, people often ran into huge debts to get the above-mentioned work equipment. It is still remembered that the Norwegian merchant Haraldur Thorson, who Reverend Páll first met in Minnesota, and for about 10 years ran a less than respectable trade among the colonies, sold a team of horses for $400 and a mule team for $500, and men then gave their lands as collateral for the debt. Thorson was reluctant and hard-nosed in business; one man lost his land for buying one pony from him. Gradually, people managed to get rid of this usurer, but not before many had lost their lands and had to seek refuge elsewhere.” Reverend Friðrik Jónsson Bergmann
English version by Thor Group.