Two monuments, one in the state of Utah and another in Vestmmaneyjar, Iceland. Both commemorate the Icelandic pioneers who emigrated from Iceland to Utah between 1854 and 1914.
The Vestmannaeyjar monument was dedicated on June 30, 2000. Present were representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the city council of Vestmannaeyjar, and a representative from the Icelandic Association of Utah who presented the statue as a gift to the people of Iceland.
The sculpture atop the monument is an eight-foot-tall angel, titled “The Messenger". Each side panel has the name of all 410 emigrants. The inscription on the center pedestal, in both Icelandic and English, reads: “In Honor of the Icelanders that heard the call to build Zion and moved to Utah 1854 to 1914.”
On August 1, 1938, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the Icelandic Association of Utah dedicated a lighthouse monument commemorating the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States. The lighthouse is a replica of an Icelandic lighthouse and contains a Viking ship on top with the 16 original Icelandic immigrants’ names etched into the monument.
In June 2005, 67 years after its dedication, another monument, listing the names of the 410 Icelandic immigrants who came to Utah was erected. A one-ton rock from Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland was brought and mounted nearby with several plaques telling the history of Icelandic pioneers who came and settled in Utah.
It all started in 1851 when two young men, Thorarinn Hafliðason and Guðmundur Guðmundsson, left their home in Vestmannaeyjar to study in Denmark. While in Denmark the two met Mormon missionaries from the state of Utah. They were successfully converted as believers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Excitedly, they returned home to Vestmannaeyjar to tell others about their newfound faith. Sadly, Thorarinn drowned the following year, but Guðmundur continued on the mission to convert his people.
By 1854 three of Gudmundur’s converts, Samúel Bjarnason, his wife, Margrét Gísladóttir, and a traveling companion, Helga Jónsdóttir, would be the first to leave Iceland for Utah. It would take no less than 300 days for them to get to their new homeland. In the Fall of 1854, they would take the first leg of their journey on a ship named James Nesmith from Iceland to Liverpool, England. From England, they continued on via ship to New Orleans in the United States. From New Orleans, they boarded a riverboat and headed to St. Louis, Missouri. After passing through Mormon Grove, the group arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on September 7, 1855.
Brigham Young, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, directed Samúel, Margrét, and Helga to settle in Spanish Fork, Utah where other Scandinavians had already settled. Beginning with just sixteen Icelandic pioneers, Spanish Forks is said to be the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States.
The local Icelanders are proud of their heritage and formed The Icelandic Association of Utah. It is a social organization committed to passing on the history of the Icelandic settlers to future generations. They meet for social events throughout the year. To learn more visit their website HERE.
1) Icelandic Monument in Utah. 785 East Canyon Road, Spanish Fork, UT
2) Visit the Vestmannaeyjar Folk Museum “Icelandic Heritage Among the Mormons” on the Island of Heimay in Vestmannaeyjar and the monument nearby.
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