Town & Country

A R B O R G WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY JUNE 16, 2018 5 Preserving the Past Heritage village nears 20th anniversary B Y P A T R E D I G E R A rborg has a fascinating history dating back over a century, and much of it is on display at the local heritage village. The region was settled by a combina- tion of Icelandic and Polish-Ukrainian pioneers. Arborg experienced a rapid ex- pansion with the arrival of the railway in 1910 and the hard-working farmers who migrated to the area. For nearly 20 years, community-minded residents have worked diligently to capture the early history of the region and share it with visitors. Thanks to their efforts, the Arborg and District Multicultural Heritage Village was created in May 1999, and the site received charitable status that December. "Many historic buildings were being torn down and we thought, 'How are our chil- dren and grandchildren going to see what our ancestors went through when they came here to make life easier for us?' " says Pat Eyolfson, co-chair of the Heritage Village. "We wanted to show what pioneer life was like. They didn't have running water or heat and had to fell trees to make their houses." Eyolfson says the project wouldn't have got off the ground without the support of the Town of Arborg, which gave the found- ing committee 12.9 acres of land for $1. With the land secured, the committee was able to start relocating and restoring his- toric buildings on the grounds. Moving the first house on the property — the Vigfus- son House — was quite the adventure. "The house was originally built in 1898 by Trausti Vigfusson, a carpenter in the area now known as Riverton," Eyolfson says. "He and his wife decided there was bet- ter land in the Geysir area, so in 1902, he took the building apart, put Roman nu- merals on every log so that he could easily put it back together on site, and hauled it by horse and wagon. We wanted to recre- ate history so we moved the house onto the property using two teams of horses. We moved the house in the year 2000, meaning it has been in different locations during the past three centuries." The Vigfusson House also has an inter- esting connection to John Ramsay, an In- digenous man who made significant con- tributions to the survival of early Icelandic pioneers. Ramsay lost his wife Betsey and three of his four children to smallpox and he buried them in the Sandy Bar cemetery, which eventually became nearly overrun by nature. Legend says that years later, Vigfusson was visited in his dreams by the spirit of Ramsay, who implored him to fix his fam- ily's overturned headstone and replace the rotting picket fence. Though he was poor and could barely provide for his own fam- ily, Vigfusson completed a restoration of the site in 1917, and it has since been completely rehabilitated and designated as a heritage site. One of the other interesting houses in the Arborg Heritage Village is the Sigvalda- son House, which Bjorn and Lara Sigvalda- son, who had 16 children, called home for over 50 years. "There's a really neat family photo of them that was difficult to complete, because they had to hire three cars to go into Win- nipeg to take a family picture since the fam- travis@monopolyrealty.ca ERIKSDALE CREAMERY MUSEUM Come home to Eriksdale for family fun our 14th Annual Creamery Days Fair & Rodeo Featuring Country Pride & Past The Perimeter Fri, Sat. & Sun, August 17, 18 & 19 For information contact: Doreen 204-739-5322, Sandra 204-739-2067, Andrea 204-739-8002 REGISTERED CHARITY NO 88751 7332 RR0001 Building a Lasting Legacy BOX 395 86 FIRST AVENUE GIMLI, MB R0C 1B0 204-642-9796 www.westshorefoundation.com email: westshorefdn@hotmail.ca Serving locations in Eriksdale and Arborg The Ambassador and staff of the Embassy of Iceland to Canada send their best wishes for a wonderful celebration of Icelandic Culture at Íslendingadagurinn in Gimli 3-6 August. 360 Albert Street Suite 710 Ottawa, ON, Canada Like us on https://www.facebook.com/IcelandInCanada 94 1st Avenue, Main Floor Gimli, Manitoba OPEN DAILY YEAR ROUND 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ADMISSIONS: Adults: $7 Seniors/Students: $6 Family: $15 6 and under: FREE 204 642 4001 www.nihm.ca HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY FOOD SPOILS? ON UNTIL AUGUST 31 Find out why at this new exhibit produced by the Canada Agriculture & Food Museum Fleyg orð An exhibition opening July - this exhibit reflects on the importance of the written word at the dawn of the internet era. It is also a meditation on literacy and cultural identity – especially in regards to Canada and Iceland. Fleyg orð, or Words in Flight, is a series of works by Guy Stewart. Words in Flight The book at the crossroads of consciousness CHECK OUR GIFT SHOP Icelandic Sweaters • Blankets Jewelry and more! THE VIKING'S PURSE ily was so large," Eyolfson says. When the Sigvaldason house had its grand opening in the Arborg Heritage Vil- lage in 2008, the five living Sigvaldason sisters were in attendance, and had the op- portunity to lead some school tours. "They wept when they saw we had re- stored their family home," Eyolfson says. There are many other fascinating sites to see on the property. The St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic Church, originally coming from Bjarmi, has most of its origi- nal artifacts, including an all-glass candle chandelier. People can also check out a replica of a typical Ukrainian bake oven and even taste the bread on special occa- sions. The century-old Hykaway Grist mill is a rare sight as it is one of only a few original grist mills still standing in all of Canada. Eyolfson notes that the Arborg Heri- tage Village committee realized from the beginning that it had to be self-sustaining. There is a Heritage Hall on site that's available to rent for functions and there's also a popular 22-site campground with electricity, showers and fire pits. It has taken plenty of work to create and maintain the Arborg Heritage Village — including at least 45,000 volunteer hours — but Eyolfson says it's worth it to bring history to life. The institution is preparing to celebrate 20 years in 2019 before entering the next chapter of its existence. "It was just a dream in 1999," Eyolfson says. "We could never have accomplished this alone; it takes a community to build a heritage village. We are so very grateful to all the businesses and citizens who have faithfully supported us since inception." Learn more at www.arborgheritagevillage.ca. Vigfusson house has been in three different locations since it was first built in 1898. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARBORG AND DISTRICT MULTICULTURAL HERITAGE VILLAGE The region was settled by a combination of Icelan- dic and Polish-Ukrainian pioneers. Arborg experi- enced a rapid expansion with the arrival of the railway in 1910 and the hard-working farmers who migrated to the area. Students are hired as tour guides at the heritage site during the summer.

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