I would be called upon to say a few words. Emphasis, which I could well
understand, seemed to be placed on the brevity of my remarks, and I am
only too ready to comply.

I would like, in the few minutes allotted to me on the program, to
congratulate the local Centennial Committee on their choice of a
memorial, comemorating as it does, the early pioneer settlers of this
Riverton district, who, many years ago laid the sure and solid founda-
tion for this now prosperous community. The early pioneers came from
many European lands and brought to this area many ethnic origins. The
first ones to arrive here came from Iceland, in the early years of
Canada’s nationhood. Several decades later additional settlers came
from the Ukraine, Poland, Germany and Hungary, and they, in their
settlements, were truly pioneers as the first comers.

This memorial makes no distinction between races or the differing
times of arrival. It is, in fact, dedicated to all the early pioneers of the
Riverton district. It is an eyecatching memorial, designed by Laura
Borgford, a student in Fine Arts at the Manitoba University, and the
daughter of Skapti Borgford, a Winnipeg architect, who planned the
park area. The memorial is a new concept, quite different from the old-
fashioned shaft and column, commonly used to commemorate impor-
tant events. Possibly this new idea will catch the public fancy, and may
in future come into public favor. If that should happen, great credit will
come to the young author of this design, and also to her father, the
architect, who has given so generously of his time and talents to assist
the local committee in erecting the memorial.

Our local committee is to be congratulated for recovering for public
use this small park area upon which the memorial is placed. It is excep-
tionally well located between a main highway and the river, near to the
village of Riverton, and in fact, hallowed ground as far as the early
Icelandic settlement is concerned.

Here it was, within a stones’ throw of where we were standing, in
the month of August, ninety-one years ago, that the first settlers landed
their boats that they had sailed and rowed all the way from Gimli. These
ungainly awkward looking craft carried all the worldly possessions of
the families. Here, on this very spot they pitched the tents that were
loaned to them by the Canadian government. These tents housed their
families while the fathers went further upstream to locate a homestead
and erect a dwelling.

This ground was also the original homestead of Sigtryggur
Jonasson, the acknowledged and outstanding leader of the Lake Win—
nipeg colony. He named his farm Modruvellir, by which name it is still
known to local residents. Here, just a bit north of where we are standing,
he built his first home. It was a story and a half building, with a peaked
roof, larger and more commodious than the homes built by the other
settlers. To this home he brought his bride, a young woman from an

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