Minneota celebrates 
Icelanders Marking 150 years of settlement  

Author: Dianne O’Konski, Lakeville, MN

Gunnlaugur Petursson settled onto his land in Westerheim Township, Lyon County, Minnesota, on July 4, 1875, marking the start of the Minneota Icelandic Settlement. He wasn’t the only Icelander to arrive at that time, just the first Icelander (and his family) to homestead.
Flash forward 150 years and Minneota looks much different. It is a small community where most people call themselves American, having multiple ethnicities in their ancestral trees. When the Society for the Preservation of Minneota’s Heritage (SPMH), a small group of five active members, and four former Minneotans started planning a celebration, we had no idea of what to expect. 
We talked for nearly a year and decided to have the celebration July 26–27 with activities held at the Icelandic O.G. Anderson & Co. “Big Store,” a 1901 building constructed to house a dry goods and grocery business. The main floor of the building is now home to the Minneota Public Library and the second story houses the original Opera Hall, which would be ground zero for the majority of activities. A Sunday service would be held in St. Paul’s Icelandic Lutheran Church. A self-guided tour of Icelandic points of interest in town was created along with a map to the three Icelandic cemeteries and Gunnlaugur’s farm. A grant from the Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS) helped with expenses.
But would anyone come? When we opened the doors at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, people were waiting! Arriving from coast to coast and many places in between, they looked at photos of early Icelanders, known and unknown, took classes in Icelandic wool and knitting, looked up recipes in the old Icelandic church cookbooks, and researched their genealogy. Story boards educated us on the early settlement and why people left Iceland. Visitors also brought their own family stories and photos to share. Many people spent the entire day at the event, catching up with old friends and family. At the end of the day, over 100 people signed the Opera Hall guest book!
Wendy Sarazyn, president of SPMH, welcomed guests on Saturday evening. Honorary Consul of Iceland to Minnesota, Jeannie Entenza, brought greetings on behalf of Iceland and introduced Minneota native Cathy Josephson, now living in Vopnafjörður, Iceland. She gave a wonderful program entitled “Ties that Bind,” which recounted the emigration to the Minneota area. This was followed by Icelandic treats for all to enjoy.
Retired pastor Kathryn Rothman conducted the service on Sunday morning, which followed the traditional framework from Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik. Readings were done in English and Icelandic, and a solo was performed in Icelandic by Scott Josephson. Of course, Sunday coffee and treats followed the service.
An added bonus for Helga (Bjornson) Visscher and family came from Minneota Mascot editor Scott Thoma. In years past, Helga’s father Valdimar, her uncles, and her grandfather Gunnar all edited the paper. Scott gave the Visschers a tour of the Mascot offices, including the original printing machine. Helga’s son Paul was gifted with a Minneota Mascot masthead printing plate used by his ancestors.
At the end of Saturday’s events, a woman approached me. She hoped we realized what a special weekend this was and how much joy we had brought people. We could not have asked for anything better.
The Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS) congratulates SPMH members Wendy Sarazyn, Sandy Josephson, Karen Golden, Judy Hagen, and Claren Novotny, along with former Minneotans Patricia Brennecke, Jeannie Entenza, Dianne O’Konski, and Kathryn Rothman, and the many volunteers for a very successful celebration.