Preserving the Most Precious Heirloom

Between the early 1870s and the outbreak of the First World War, thousands of Icelandic migrants arrived in North America. They made their new homes in many places north and south of the Canada-US border, but the highest concentration of Icelanders settled in what today is the province of Manitoba.

Not long after their arrival, Icelanders began to publish Icelandic-language newspapers. These newspapers helped Icelanders stay informed, preserve their language, and become better acclimatized to their new North American homes. Over the next several decades, many Icelandic-language magazines, books, and other printed material followed.

The robust and diverse Icelandic-language publishing industry in Manitoba helped migrant Icelanders navigate their new lives in North America. It also played a crucial role in helping them maintain social, economic, spiritual, and cultural connections across vast geographical distances from Manitoba and Minnesota to British Columbia and Washington state.

This Community Story recounts the decades-long history of Icelandic language publishing in Manitoba. It tells the remarkable tale of migrant Icelanders’ efforts to preserve what Icelandic-Canadian poet Dr. S.E. Björnsson referred to as “the most precious heirloom” – the Icelandic language.