Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques

Icelandic Settlement - Gimli

In October 1875 the first permanent Icelandic settlement in Canada was established in this district. The original destination of this group of about 250 was the Whitemud (Icelandic) River but due to the threat of winter they landed further south at Willow Point. Near here the first buildings were erected and a townsite was laid out and called Gimli after the home of the gods in Norse mythology. The following year upwards of 1200 settlers located themselves along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg. This was the foundation of the largest Icelandic settlement outside of Iceland.