Western Icelandic Settlements-Minnesota and Alberta-Webinar

An intriguing series of webinars exploring Icelandic settlement history launched in 2025, which explores the origins of Icelandic communities in North America.

The next installment in this series explores the Minneota, Minnesota settlement in the United States and the Markerville, Alberta, settlement of Canada.

Minneota was first settled by Icelanders in 1875. Kathryn Rothman shares the story of these first settlers, many of whom came from the rocky, lava plains of northeast Iceland to this flat prairieland with little but their personal belongings and books.

They built schools, churches, libraries, farms and industries. An enduring love of learning and their Icelandic heritage are part of their legacy. Author Bill Holm was born here, and his books and poetry capture the spirit of Minneota. Kathryn has researched the local history of the area, and interviewed descendants of those first settlers.

Icelanders, forever the adventurers, moved further west in 1888 to settle in the Red Deer County of Alberta. Mark Petursson will share the story of these first settlers to Alberta, who came in search of a better life for their children.

In the settlement of Tindastoll, later named Markerville, the Icelandic pioneers relied on fishing to sustain them through the winters and rich pastures for sheep and cattle. In the early 20th century, Icelanders began to move to the urban centres of Calgary and Edmonton. Still, the bond with their Icelandic heritage remained strong and Markerville, Calgary, and Edmonton remain bastions of Icelandic heritage.

On July 26 & 27, 2025 Minneota will hold a celebration to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the settlement. Watch for an upcoming blogpost on the INLUS website.

The U.S. based INLUS and Canada based INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America) jointly produced their first webinar by examining the two oldest settlements in each country. Over a century and a half has passed since Icelandic settlers arrived in North America. This webinar series explores the history of these small Icelandic communities that formed in both the United States and Canada. The INLUS and INLNA have joined together to gather stories from these early settlements of the people who left Iceland for a new home.

Join the webinar on Tuesday, June 24th at 8 pm EDT / 7 pm CDT / 6 pm MDT / 5 pm PDT / 0000 GMT (25 Jun)

This event is open to the public and will be recorded.