Reprinted with permission of THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN

In the extreme northwest corner of the State of Washington, nestled against the Canadian border, lies Whatcom County. On its eastern edge are the Cascade Mountains, dominated in this area by the snow-clad eminence of Mount Baker. The western edge is washed by the waters of Georgia Strait. To the average American motoring northward, the coastal town of Blaine in Whatcom County may seem little more than the final stop on Interstate Highway 5 before crossing the border into Canada en route to Vancouver. To people of Icelandic descent, however, it has been one of the best known centres of Icelandic pioneer settlement in North America.

Blaine was founded a century ago in an area that was then largely virgin forest. It was later to become a lumber shipping port, with busy shingle mills and salmon canneries. It still serves as a base for fishing boats that harvest the teeming waters of Georgia Strait, but the sawmills and canneries have closed and tourism is now the major industry. When the first settlers arrived, it was as part of the wave of pioneers looking for new land to till and a fresh start in life. One of these pioneers was Oli Lee, a man of Norwegian ancestry who had been farming near Grafton, North Dakota. In 1888 he purchased forty acres of land near Birch Bay, a few miles south of Blame. Oli's wife was Thorunn Halldorsdottir, who had arrived from Iceland in 1876 as part of the first wave of immigrants from that country. Originally her family went to the New Iceland colony in Manitoba, but subsequently Thorunn married the aforementioned Oli Lee and moved to North Dakota. Not long after that another young Icelandic woman, Gudny Thorleifsdottir, joined them in their home as a domestic. Gudny had immigrated from Iceland earlier that year. Some years later she married Petur Lee, a cousin of Oli. A few months after Oli and Thorunn moved to the Pacific Coast they were joined by Petur and Gudny, who purchased forty acres of land in the same locality. It would appear that these two worthy ladies, Thorunn and Gudny Lee, were the first Icelandic settlers in the Blaine-Birch Bay area. The hardships that they experienced were not unlike those of pioneers everywhere - social isolation, infrequency of mail service, difficulty in obtaining supplies, and so on.

It is believed that the next settler in the Birch Bay area was Joel Steinsson, who arrived about the turn of the century. Somewhat prior to that, however, Hjorleifur Stefansson, Sveinbjorn Bjornsson, and Benjamin Alexander were probably the first men of Icelandic origin to settle in the town of Blaine itself. That was in 1897. Hjorleifur and his wife, Gudrun, had spent a couple of years in Seattle before moving to Blaine and had originally migrated to Grafton, North Dakota, after leaving Iceland. Benjamin also, had spent some time in the Grafton area. Sveinbjorn had travelled widely as well, having lived in Seattle, in Victoria, British Columbia, and for about eighteen years in Nome, Alaska. It was an age when there was much movement of population to open up the country and "Go west, young man" was the watch word.

Information on these early settlers has been obtained from the biographical sketches prepared by Margret J. Benediktsson and published in the periodical Almanac for the years 1926 and 1929.* Margret J. Benediktsson herself a woman of considerable gifts was very prominent in the suffragette movement of her day. She chronicled the experiences of dozens of Icelandic settlers in the Blaine area - far too many to describe or even mention in this short account. On reading through these sketches certain facts emerge. Almost without exception the people discussed were born in Iceland and in most cases grew up there. However, there is hardly an instance of any who emigrated directly to the Pacific Northwest. The general pattern seems to have been to go first to Winnipeg or the North (New?) Iceland area of Manitoba (or, occasionally, to Selkirk or the Argyle District). Another pattern, almost as frequent, was to emigrate to North Dakota (Mountain, Pembina, Hallson etc.). All of this is, of course, understandable. They would wish to begin their life in the New World by joining friends or relatives in a settlement where Icelanders were already established. Often they would go to Manitoba first, thence to North Dakota, and finally to the Pacific Coast. Many who came to Blaine had spent some time previously in Seattle or Bellingham, or in some cases in Vancouver or Victoria, British Columbia. For a good many, Blaine represented the end of their wanderings. While every individual case was different, the patterns mentioned were fairly representative of the majority. There was no mass immigration of Icelandic settlers to the area. They came by individual families, often to join relatives or close friends.

Obviously, their common Icelandic background and culture helped to sustain them and promoted a sense of community in the early days. There was a bond between adjoining communities as well. Einar Simonarson, who has been practicing law in the nearby town of Lynden, Washington, for the past half century, can recall the time (while growing up on his father's farm at Birch Bay) when visitors would cross by boat from the settlement at Point Roberts and stay for several days. Einar's father, Thorgeir, was one of the early settlers in the area, after having spent some time in Winnipeg, Seattle, and other locations.

Since the majority of Icelandic settlers purchased a plot of land when they arrived in the district (homestead land was not available), it would appear that their primary means of livelihood, to begin with, was farming. A few, however, did operate businesses in the town, even in the early years of the century. Doubtless others worked in canneries and on fishing boats, although the boom years of the canneries somewhat predated the arrival of most of the settlers. Mention is made of several who built their own homes, so carpentry was obviously a skill that stood them in good stead.

In Icelandic settlements in other parts of North America, many of the second and third generations went on to higher education and have furthered their careers by moving on to other parts of the country. In earlier days, however, some were able to make a notable contribution locally. At one time, for example, there were no fewer than six lawyers of Icelandic descent practicing in Whatcom County. Others were involved in government on a local level. Magnus Thordarson (who operated a grocery store) was on the local council for a number of years. So was J. O. Magnusson, another businessman in the town, who not only served on the council but was also police chief for a period of time. Probably the best known in the realm of public service was Andrew Danielsson. Born in Iceland in 1879, he emigrated to North America when he was only nine years of age and spent the first years with his uncle at Poplar Point in Manitoba. Arriving in Blaine in 1902 he worked in a store at first, later owning a store in partnership with O. O. Runolfsson. The business was later sold. Danielsson continued for years in the insurance and real estate business. He served for a while on the local council, and ultimately was elected to the state legislature.

From the beginning, the Icelanders had a lively intellectual and social life. There were really two groups of people, however, those who lived in the country and those who lived in the town. A "Lestrarfélag" or Literary Society was founded as early as 1903. This society bore the name "Harpa." There were about twenty people involved. Among those who are mentioned as having been prominent in the organization were Hjorleifur Stefansson and his wife, Gudrun, who have been mentioned above as having been among the very earliest settlers in Blaine. Another who was active in its affairs was Gudbjartur Karason, whose son, Halldor, now retired, was for many years a professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Other organizations followed the founding of Harpa. The local Foresters Lodge was set up in 1904. All of its members were Icelandic. In 1905 the women's society "Líkn" was established. This was later to evolve into the ladies' aid society of the Lutheran Church.

It was in 1912 that Rev. Hjortur Leo came out from Winnipeg to organize the Lutheran congregation. The church building was erected in 1914. While Hjortur Leo would return occasionally for brief periods, the first regular minister was Rev. Sigurdur Olafsson. The church proved to be much more than a religious centre. It was also a centre for cultural and social life in the community. Halldor Jonsson was the minister during the 1920s. Toward the end of that decade religious dissension developed (characteristic of so many North American Icelandic communities) and there was a split in the congregation. Halldor went with the more liberal group -- the Free Church, as it was called. Up to the mid-thirties Valdimar Eylands served Lutheran congregations in both Bellingham and Blaine. The difficult economic conditions of those years made it more and more difficult to maintain a minister on a regular basis, although the church continued to be served by various preachers on an interim or some kind of temporary basis. Among those who served the congregation in this way were Rev. Harold Sigmar, who had previously been with congregations in Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Vancouver, British Columbia, his son, Eric, and Rev. Erling Olafson. Harold Sigmar, incidentally, ultimately settled in Blaine as his last regular pastorate. As the years went on, decrease in the use of Icelandic as the common mode of speech in the community meant that eventually ministers of non-Icelandic background took over the pastoral duties.

Rev. Ragnar Kvaran came out from Winnipeg in the latter twenties and helped to organize the Icelandic Free Church. Following the departure of Halldor Jonsson (referred to above), Fridrik Fridriksson took over as its minister. He had been serving in the liberal church in Wynyard, Saskatchewan, for a few years prior to that. In 1933 he left for Iceland, from where he had originally come, to minister to a congregation of the state church (Lutheran) in that country. Albert Kristjanson served both the Seattle and Blaine Free Churches from 1933 on. When Rev. Kristjanson retired he settled in Blaine and lived there until his death a few years ago.

As pointed out above, the churches were cultural and social centres as well as religious centres. Lectures, concerts, programs of all kinds, as well as lessons in the Icelandic language, were very much a part of the community's life, especially in the 1920s. The winter festival of Þorrablót was celebrated annually. Tombolas and bazaars helped to liven up social life as well as raise funds that were needed for charitable work. The "Líkn" and Harpa societies would put on plays that were much appreciated. Anna Karason, the wife of Halldor referred to earlier, speaks glowingly of those days, the card parties, the dances, and other social functions. People of all ages participated. There was a wealth of musical and dramatic talent that could be called upon. She remembers in particular the staging of the Icelandic drama "Skuggasveinn."

Other aspects of cultural life were not neglected. Magnus Jonsson wrote poems and essays, many of which were printed in the Icelandic language papers. Magnus was a most interesting personage. Born and brought up in Iceland, he and his wife did not migrate to North America until they were well on in their thirties. After spending many years in Icelandic communities in Manitoba, they ended up in Blaine in 1902. Eventually he became completely blind, but his creative talents did not diminish for all that. His son, Jon, was talented in other ways, becoming a gifted musician and choir director.

A prime focus for musical and intellectual activities was the annual picnic or Icelandic Celebration. Various sites were utilized for this occasion in the early years. Residents of Blaine can remember when they were held in Lincoln Park and also in Montfort Park. Finally the permanent site for the annual festival became the Peace Arch State Park on the Canadian border. Here residents of Washington State and lower mainland British Columbia could assemble to celebrate their common Icelandic heritage. The acres of green grass and the majestic Arch itself make a most appropriate spot for the festivities. Here the virtues of our ancestral culture could be extolled, and the strains of The Star Spangled Banner, O Canada, and O guð vors lands helped to remind one of the international nature of the occasion.

The expansion and "internationalizing" of the Icelandic Celebration was promoted by the newly-formed chapter of the Icelandic National League, which called itself "Aldan" (The Wave). This was organized in Blaine in the spring of 1944. As the years went by, the fostering of the annual celebration was to become the main concern of this organization. Its president in the early years was Andrew Danielsson and the Secretary was Rev. Albert Kristjanson. A featured speaker would be brought in each year, usually from Winnipeg or one of the larger Icelandic settlements. A system was evolved whereby the chairman for the occasion would alternate between Blaine and Vancouver, British Columbia. Local choirs would usually supply music, with Halfdan Thorlaksson assembling a choir in Vancouver or Elias Breidfjord performing that function in the town of Blaine. Another feature of these celebrations would be the annual tug o' war between rival teams selected from the American and Canadian communities. As the years went by many of these activities diminished and attendance has declined. The committee in charge continued to operate for many years as the Icelandic Celebration Committee. Some of the members of this committee, such as Einar Simonarson and Eddi Johnson (who would often alternate from year to year as chairman) continue to put their efforts into this right down to the present time, working closely with their counterparts, such as Oskar Howardsson, in Vancouver. Nowadays, the celebration has once again assumed the proportions of an annual picnic. But good fellowship and the Icelandic spirit remain.

Another project which greatly occupied the attention of the Icelandic National League chapter in Blaine when it was first formed was the establishing the Icelandic Old Folks Home. One of the marks of a civilized community is the way it treats those members who have reached their declining years. In this respect the Icelanders of Blaine have merited the highest of praise. In 1949 the Home was opened. It is called "Stafholt" and was named after the childhood home of the Stoneson brothers of San Francisco (who contributed considerably toward its establishment. Here the elderly now are able to enjoy friendly and comfortable surroundings and to maintain reminders of their cultural heritage, such as Icelandic cooking on special occasions and the conversations of friends with like background and interests. Einar Simonarson served as Chairman of the board for Stafholt from its founding until it was turned over to Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society in 1985. The Stafholt Women's Auxiliary has always provided needed articles for residents, and faithful volunteers assist the staff in physical therapy sessions, taking residents for walks, writing letters and cards, and in other ways. Support has also been generous from such organizations as "Eining" of Seattle and the Freya Club of Bellingham. As the years have passed since its founding, the number of Icelandic residents in the Home has become fewer and fewer. Now members of all races and creeds are welcomed in. The spirit which motivated it at the beginning, however, remains. Over the main entrance is a bronze plaque depicting the Icelandic falcon, traditional national emblem of that nation. Here is one more symbol of the fact that, in this small corner of North America, the memory of the land of our ancestors is not entirely dead.

This small town has seen its changes. The wheels of "Rjoma" (Cream) Geiri's milk wagon have been stilled for many a year and no more do people stop to visit with Litli Steini in the small dwelling on Dakota Creek. The busy Interstate sweeps by and people hardly stop to take a glance. Still, the memory of slower and simpler days will linger on, when Blaine was the centre of a small, brave Icelandic community starting a new life on the Pacific strand.

* "Íslendingar á Kyrrahafsströndinni - Blaine." Almanak. Winnipeg, Olafur S.
Thorgeirsson, ed. & pub., 1926 pp. 66-90 and 1929 pp. 36-72