Skalholt Cemetery has proudly unveiled new signage

Skalholt Cemetery has proudly unveiled new signage designed to enhance visibility and draw visitors to this historically significant site. Strategically placed 3 miles west of the cemetery, the sign features a bold arrow directing traffic eastward.

This initiative, spearheaded by the Icelandic Community Club of Western Canada, has garnered financial support from the Icelandic Community Club of Western Manitoba, the Glenboro & Area Foundation, and the Skalholt Cemetery Committee.

Under the skilled direction of designer Steve Bjornson, the signage was crafted to be both striking and easily readable. Following the finalization of the design, Millshof Colony expertly cut the sign out of metal using advanced CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery, ensuring precision and quality. They meticulously smoothed all edges to eliminate any roughness. Once the sign was complete, it was transported to another colony near Brandon for a durable powder coat finish, guaranteeing its strength against the elements for years to come.

Installation was then expertly handled by Bjorn Enterprises Ltd., marking a successful culmination of this project that will help preserve and promote the significance of Skalholt Cemetery.

Community members and local historians have praised the initiative, emphasizing the importance of maintaining such historical sites for education and remembrance. The new sign is practical and a tribute to Skalholt’s legacy and its role in the region’s history, and it is hoped that the new signage will encourage more visitors to explore the cemetery, providing them with a better understanding of the past and the individuals who contributed to the area’s heritage.

We share the following history of the Skalholt Cemetery with our readers:

This excerpt is from the original ‘Beyond the Long Grass’, the Glenboro and area history book that the writer was able to access through the Burrough of the Gleann Museum in Glenboro.

(Many thanks to Lorelei, Myrtle and Danielle for their assistance!)
“About four miles east of the Ernest Thompson Seton Bridge, which is on 258 highway is located a cemetery that marks the final resting place of early Icelandic families who settled northeast of Glenboro. A close attachment of national loyalty still links the past with the present, and on occasion, burials are conducted for a descendant of the early settlers.

“A very fitting dedication was conducted on May 5, 1968. Rev. Kristjan Robertsson, who came from Iceland to serve the Argyle Lutheran Parish for several years, conducted the service. This was one of his last functions before he returned to his beloved country. Rev Robertsson’s address is recorded here as the continuing story of a brave people in a new and challenging world.”

The following are the words of Rev. Kristjan Robertsson:

“The words which we say here today will fly away and soon be forgotten but this ground will ever be here. It is the last resting place of people who fought and died in this area. In this peaceful and lonely place surrounded by hills and forest, we stand on sacred ground.

“Not only is this ground sacred because it was many years ago consecrated and set apart by a minister of God but this ground is also, and even more so, sacred because it has been consecrated by people who lived in this neighbourhood.

“The Icelandic pioneers who settled in this area were poor people and had to face many difficulties. Everything was new to them, the country, the language, the customs and the way of living.

“The hardy people fought and sweated with their hearts divided between this new soil which they broke, and hoped for a better future, and the red rugged country of the north, which was still an inseparable part of their past.

“This area is not an Icelandic settlement anymore. The pioneers are gone. They broke this land and left it to new generations to live and die in; in the same brave way as they did themselves.

“And in this sacred ground, these old warriors were laid to rest when the fighting was over. Here they laid their own children with heavy hearts, yet unyielding in spirit. They dug the graves with their own hands, and here they stood bidding the last farewell to their friends and relatives.

“This ground has been consecrated by the sweat and tears of these brave fighters; the pioneer people of this area. They gave this place the most Icelandic name they knew, the name of SKALHOLT, which for centuries was the residence of the bishops in the southern part of Iceland, perhaps the greatest of all names in Icelandic history.

In a new soil with an old name they laid themselves to rest when they had nothing more to give this land of their adoption.

“I want to thank all those who have worked for the realization of a monument for the pioneers. It is a worthy centennial project in memory of a hardy pioneer people. May their spirit be preserved in you and your children, a spirit which surely has and will make this country a great country.

“And now I dedicate this monument of the Icelandic pioneers in the Skalholt area. Blessed be the memory of those who lived here in this district and now lie buried in this sacred ground.

PHOTO CAPTION: The Icelandic Community Club of Western Canada, along with Glenboro & Area Foundation and the Skalholt Cemetery Committee, have installed a new sign to direct visitors to the cemetery. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK