Report on Icelandic Immigration – 1889

Library and Archives Canada has an extensive collection of the annual reports that federal Immigation Agents were expected to submit, detailing their activities and accomplishments.

During the 1880s, many Icelanders left their country to settle elsewhere; a concentration of these settled in Manitoba.

The “Icelandic Agent”, Baldwin Larus Baldwinson, was an interesting character. He came to Canada in 1873 and settled at Toronto where he worked at the shoemaking trade until 1882 when he moved to Winnipeg. In 1883, he became an Icelandic immigration agent for the federal government, remaining in the position until 1896 and being responsible for bringing over seven thousand people from Iceland to Canada. He owned and edited the Icelandic newspaper Heimskringla from 1898 to 1913.

He was later a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for twelve years, after which he served as Deputy Provincial Secretary of Manitoba from 1913-1922.¹

A transcription of the report is provided beneath the document.

Annual_Report_1889_Iceland

Library and Archives Canada

Transcription:

Report on Icelandic Immigration

(Mr. B.L. Baldwinson)

Winnipeg 31^st December 1889

Sir,

I have the honour to present herewith my annual report on Icelandic Immigration into the Province of Manitoba and parts of the Canadian Northwest for the year ending the 31^st December 1889.

There have arrived in this Province during the past summer 680 Icelandic Immigrants, consisting of 100 families besides 160 single men and women between the ages of 16 and 40 years. About three-fourths of these people came out by the Allan Line, while the remaining portion took passage by the Dominion Line whose managers have now established Emigration Agencies in various parts of Iceland with a view of securing a portion of the Immigrant carrying trade to this country. All the Immigrants came via Quebec as follows:

The vast majority of these Immigrants were of the Agricultural Class, there being however some mechanics and artisans amongst them besides a goodly number of female domestic servants. All the immigrants arrived here in a healthy condition, but measles having broke out amongst some of them after arrival here caused some delay in their location and settlement.

The cash resources of the Immigrants averaged, as nearly as I could ascertain, 7 to 8 Dollars per head, while their bedding, household effects etc. amounts to about 50 dollars per family.

The total resources therefor (sic) brought in by these people may fairly be rated at Ten Thousand Dollars. The distribution of the Immigrants, from the Winnipeg Agency, was in round numbers approximately as follows:

To the Gimli settlement       (Lake Winnipeg)              200
“     “     Argyle      “              (Cypress)                       60
“      “    Thingvalla      “        (Churchbridge)                50
“      “    Clarkleigh                (Municipality of Rosen)      25
“    Brandon                                                                    40
“    West Selkirk                                                               10
“    Rat Portage                                                                 5
“    Carberry                                                                      5
“    Winnipeg                                                                   100
“    Situations                                                                    50
“    North Dakota                                                              50

Total                                                                                 680

Of those who went to Dakota I may explain that some went to work there for this season only and have already returned to and settled in Manitoba, while others have settled with their friends who in many cases had sent remittances to Iceland, to assist in their Emigration.

I calculate that 100 persons of those who came out during the present season will remain in Dakota for the present.

To offset this loss of the number of arrivals as above stated I beg to inform you that about 13 families, besides some single men and women, consisting altogether of about 70 persons, have this year moved in from North Dakota, where they had previously been settled. These people brought in considerable amount of cash, while they also brought with them carloads of Livestock and household with which to begin farming in this Country. The majority of these very valuable settlers located in the Territory of Alberta, the remaining portion settled in Manitoba.

From the above it will be seen that the actual number of Icelandic Immigrants who have settled in this Province and the Canadian Northwest during the present year, is 650 souls.

It will be observed that this is a much smaller number than that of last year 1888 when 1100 people arrived here. Yet this year’s returns may be considered highly satisfactory, seeing that no active work has been done in Iceland during the present year, and that no special inducements have been held out by the Government for the Immigration of these people or their settlement here.

The energetic and harmonious cooperation of Mr. Herbert, the caretaker of the Immigrant sheds here, rendered my work of distributing the Immigrants to the various localities mentioned above, comparatively an easy task. My object  has been, as per instructions from your Chief Agent here, Mr. Thomas Bennett, to send as many families of the new arrivals out into the different Icelandic colonies as the means at my disposal would permit.

The wisdom of this plan has been heartily endorsed by the chief officials of the Can. Pac. Ry. here, to whom my Immigrants are grately (sic) indebted for their prompt and generous assistance in granting absolutely free transportation by their railway for all those who had no means to reach their friends in the settlements, and whose location and settlement would otherwise have been both difficult and expensive.

I may state also that the whole of this year’s Icel. Immigrants have been most enthusiastically received on their arrival by their friends and copatriots (sic) in this City, and have been well cared for during their short stay here.

There has been no lack of employment for all those whose circumstances would permit of them hiring out. Farm labourers received, on arrival $15.00 per month day labourers received from $1.25 – $1.75 per day, and many of these have had steady employment up to the beginning of the present month, while female domestics are always in good demand, 5-7 dollars being the average monthly wages for new arrivals who come here without any knowledge of the English language or the methods of working here. After 3 or 4 months service in this country, however, when they have obtained some knowledge of the language and got accustomed to the work, 10 to 12 dollars per month is easily obtainable.

I have received a number of written and verbal testimonies from this year’s arrivals: Their good opinion of this Country and their string hope in their future prosperity has been expressed without a dissenting voice.

Some who came out during the past summer have already sent remittances to their relatives and friends in the Mother Country to assist in their Emigration to Canada during the coming year. This alone is sufficient to shew the improved condition of the industrious and frugal Immigrants who comes to this country. It acts as an incentive to further Immigration, and is in my opinion the best payment that the Government can expect or wish for, in return for the comparatively small expenditure incurred in their Immigration and Settlement here.

I regret my inability to give any authentic account of the Colonization of the Icelanders in Canada. To do this properly it is necessary to visit and travel through the settlements during the summer and fall of the year, but an opportunity of doing this, has not so far been granted to me. I may state however, in a general way that reports from the Icelandic Settlements, of whom there are 6 in the Canadian Northwest, show an increased prosperity as they advance in age and increase in membership. Each passing year adds to the contentment and stability of these people here. Out of the 8,600 Icelanders that are now in Canada about 5000 are in the different Settlements, engaged in farming, fishing and stockraising. They have their own schools and teachers their churches, and ministers of their own nationality. They take their proportionate share in the management of the different Municipalities in which they are settled, and are gradually assimilating with the people of this country in all social life.

Those who reside in the various Cities and Towns are making fair progress. They are characterized as being thoroughly reliable, economical and hardworking people, and are considered by the fairest judge to constitute an important element of the population of this Province.

I have the honour to be,

Sir

Your obedient servant

(signed) B. L. Baldwinson,

Icelandic Agent

To the Honourable John Carling

Minister of Agriculture

Ottawa

1. Memorable Manitobans: Baldwin Larus Baldwinson (1856-1936) ↩︎