Ólaf S. Þorgeirsson’s most significant publication is undoubtedly the almanac attributed to him, Ólaf S. Thorgeirsson’s Almanak. Rev. Rögnvaldur Pétursson wrote about it in 1938 and said: “The history and implications of the Almanak is the history of the publisher’s own interests. He must have started thinking about this publication early on, and the model has been the Almanak of the Íslenzka Þjóðvinafélags, which has always enjoyed general popularity.” (Almanak 1938) In the years 1885-1890, the idea was discussed quite a bit that it was right to record the history of Icelandic settlement in the West, because the number of pioneers in the various Icelandic settlements in Canada and the United States was decreasing, and with them perhaps valuable information would disappear. Nothing is known about Ólaf’s contribution to such discussions, but soon after he started working on the Almanak (1894) he approached people in the main Icelandic settlements where there were individuals willing to record the settlement history of their communities. The response was good, but it naturally took time for the recorder to collect information on the settlers and their families as well as other information that was considered important. The first to send Ólaf an article was Guðlaugur Magnússon from Dalasýsla, who came west in 1874 and was one of the first settlers in New Iceland. It was published in Almanak in 1899, and Ólafur writes a short preface to these articles, which he calls Safn til landnámssögu Íslendinga í Vesturheimi (Collection of the settlement history of Icelanders in the West). “A long time ago, it was suggested by various people that it was worth putting the settlement history of Western Icelanders into print, and then of course it was necessary to collect documents for that written work while the settlement events are still fresh in people’s minds and before the majority of the Icelandic pioneers in this country are reduced to dust. This is both true and correct. It certainly can have no less significance in the future that there is a reliable publication about the beginning of Icelandic settlements in the West than it has had for our Icelandic nation in the past centuries, in its remarkable Landnámábók in the past. But since more than a quarter of a century has now passed since the westward migration of Icelanders to settle here in North America began, it is natural that little by little some things will start to become obsolete that in the past happened to a group or groups of the Icelandic emigrants, since their numbers are rapidly decreasing. The time has certainly come to explain to Western Icelanders the main events in their settlement history, so that they do not fall into oblivion and die as soon as the older men who rode with us then disappear from the scene. The publisher of this almanac wants to support the preservation of these historical events. To that end, he has made arrangements for his small annual publication to carry forward, little by little, elements from the history of the Western Icelandic pioneers, until they become a whole collection, which covers all the Icelandic settlements here in the West. Of course, this will only be a brief historical summary, where only the main events will be highlighted and no attempt will be made to pass judgment on issues or people.” Rev. Rögnvaldur Pétursson wrote about this: “Of Ólaf’s works, there will be nothing that preserves his memory with greater honor than his constant interest in collecting these stories often at great expense and publish them. His finances were usually meager, and it was all the more commendable that what was left of it was how steadfastly he stood by his plan – one could say his ideal – to collect these chapters of the story of the Icelanders’ emigration to the West into one whole.”
Feedback and popularity: The Almanak was well received in the West, many sent material to Ólafur, original or translated. Story writers took to it seriously and most of them produced exceptionally high-quality articles. Ólafur passed away in 1937, but his sons, Geir and Ólafur continued the publication with Dr. Richard Beck, editor. In Iceland, the Almanak was well received and many commented on the excellence of the Almanak in speech and writing. Bishop Þórhallur Bjarnason said in the April issue of “Nýtt kirkjublað” (New Church Newpaper) in 1914 “Would any ethnic group other than ours have thought of documenting and preserving their history in the West? This settlement history appears annually in Ólafur Thorgeirsson’s Almanak in Winnipeg. In this year’s Almanak, there are two long historical chapters, genealogies are quite detailed and considerable historical information is documented in the episodes. This has become a big story, much longer than the ancient Landnám, and much will probably remain unwritten. This will be a monumental publication for posterity, and a very important part of the preservation of the Icelandic nation in the West.” The same year said Dr. Jón Þorkelsson, archivist for Sunnanfara: “Ólafur has continued to publish the Almanak, slightly expanded it and enlarged it, and always continued the history of the settlement, so that for it alone, if nothing else, this Almanak has become the most significant publication. It has become a kind of settlement book from the country west across the ocean and an absolutely indispensable historical document for the future.” Professor Sigurður Nordal wrote a letter to Ólafur on February 26, 1932 from the United States and said: “My deepest thanks for your Almanak, which you were so kind as to send me. — The settlements that you have published little by little in this Almanak will be the most remarkable material from which to work in the future, if we are to follow the fate of the Icelandic nation in America, and that, in my opinion, is the least that can be demanded.”
