Articles

By Dick Purinton

Archivist Steve Reis and Archives Committee member Julie Anderson met with photographer Jim Legault in early December to review a process he’s refined for digitizing slides.

The Archives currently has an estimated 4,000 slides donated by Arbutus Greenfeldt, in addition to numerous other archived slides, and it is believed many more slides may be hidden in closets and attics around the Island. 

Many of these may be historically worthy, and therefore requiring conversion from the original slide-in-cardboard holder to digital format.

In order to obtain high quality images, Legault demonstrated use of his camera and stand, bellows and close-up lens to Reis and Anderson. 

He uses a Canon 6D body, which can be pre-set to take three photos at one time, each varying exposure and color range. The camera itself can then electronically merge the three images into one, and that single file can be exported to a memory stick or downloaded directly to a computer with Adobe Lightroom software.

Legault’s camera stand is now in the Archives, on long-term loan, but until recently, lacked the camera with various attachments, or the proper software to manipulate, file and store images. 

Steve Reiss placed an order shortly for these items, knowing that winter months hold greatest potential for available time to work with the slides. Legault also provided the Archives with a camera stand to facilitate copying existing photos. 

Taking a photo of a photo may seem redundant, but the digital file of the physical photo (which itself may be in poor condition) will be longer-lasting. In the digital format, the original photo can be improved upon and restored, using modern Photoshop software. 

Digital images can also be more easily stored, transferred or emailed.

Having now invested $1600 in the purchase of camera, lens and software, and confident this effort brings about opportunities to convert Island historical slides into quality, digital images, the Archives Committee is asking the public for support. 

Contributions toward this project may be sent c/o Washington Island Historical Archives, PO Box 220, Washington Island, Wisconsin 54246. 

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By Dick Purinton

This year we recognize the 150th year of the arrival of four young Icelanders on Washington Island, an event that began an emigration movement, one that grew over the succeeding four decades.

This milestone will be observed this year in Iceland, as well as on Washington Island.

Coincidentally, 2020 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Washington Island Ferry Line. The new ferry Madonna is expected to be christened in early June, prior to starting its routine in regular ferry service. 

In July of 1970, during the 100-year anniversary of the first Icelandic settlers on our shores, another new ferry had been constructed at the Bay Shipbuilding yard in Sturgeon Bay, and it awaited christening. Ferry Line owners Arni and Mary Richter had chosen the name Eyrarbakki, after the Icelandic seacoast town from which early Island immigrants had emigrated. 

This became a meaningful way to tie Washington Island history with the current day. But, in a sense, that naming also evolved into a larger Island marketing campaign, one that celebrated both heritage and uniqueness, setting Washington Island apart from other Door County or Wisconsin communities. 

The actual christening ceremony, the breaking of a bottle of water on the vessel, was performed by Gertrude Andersen. She was the first child born on Washington Island to Icelandic immigrant parents. She was also mother of Hannes and grandmother to Christine, names familiar to many.

Water was drawn from a well in Eyrarbakki especially for that occasion, and then flown by Iceland Air to New York, and on to Chicago. The water container was then driven to the Island, in time for the christening ceremony. 

A variety of other activities were also slated for the 1970 centennial celebration.  The Door County Advocate(July 16, 1970) outlined the planned events:

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Island’s all set to celebrate centennial

It won’t be long now!

Washington Islanders have waited 100 years to royally celebrate their centennial and the line-up of events promises to exceed even this hospitable community’s fondest expectations.

They’re going all out!

With Mrs. Arni (Mary) Richter as chairman of the event, the Icelandic Centennial’s calendar of events is chock-full of excitement.

The fun starts Saturday morning (July 18) at Rock Island State Park where Conan Eaton, prolific Washington Island author, will conduct a guided tour. The delightful speaker has much to tell; he’s currently writing a book about Rock Island and its history.

Richter’s brand-new ferry, the Eyrarbakki, will be christened at 2:00 p.m. Saturday when Mrs. Gertrude Anderson breaks a bottle of water from the harbor at Eyrarbakki, Iceland. Richter, descendant of one of the Island’s first four settlers, had the water flown in. 

After Mrs. Anderson, who is now 96 and has the honor of being the first Icelandic child born on the Island, christens the Eyrarbakki, there’ll be free refreshments at the big “Kafficana” (coffeepot) on the dock. Entertainment will be provided by a group of bearded residents singing “Ballad of the Beards.”

The evening meal will be held at the Community House with Minnesota State Treasurer, Val Bjornsson, an Icelander, as speaker. Percy Johnson, town chairman, is master of ceremonies, and costumed island girls will dance.

Karly’s Bar is the scene of the big dance Saturday night with music by the Bjarnarsons, a talented Island family whose specialty is playing a variety of instruments—including an electric mandolin.

Centennial services will be held at both Island churches Sunday morning. At noon there will be a fly-in fishboil with 80 planes expected. The boil will be at the airport.

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Proofreading in 2020

A few notes regarding the above news story: Arni Richter was the grandson of Arni Gudmundsen, the second of two Arni’s to immigrate to this country, and he was not a descendant of one of the first four settlers. Christening water flown from Iceland was drawn from a village well in Eyrarbakki, and not from the harbor itself. Mrs. Andersen’s name had an “sen” rather than an “son.” 

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By Dick Purinton

Modern day marketing sometimes states that Washington Island is the “oldest Icelandic settlement,” or the “largest,” of any in North America.

There is truth to each claim, but such statements must also be clarified. What happened on Washington Island, it appears, was the beginning of an emigration movement, whereby family members and other fellow Icelanders were encouraged through first-hand communications such as letters, to consider North America as their future home.

There was a group of Icelanders who followed a Mormon leader to Spanish Fork, Utah. Initially three in number in 1854, they soon added new pilgrims to their ranks. They were recruited on Vestmannaeyjer (or Westman Island), and gradually, between 1854 and 1914, over 400 fellow Icelanders settled in Spanish Fork. This community certainly qualified as an Icelandic settlement, but as a religious community it seemed to be downplayed as a true emigration movement.

“They were followed to Utah in later years by other converts, but the early Icelandic Mormon’s status as lost sheep probably denied them any chance to inspire a general migration to America,” wrote Washington Island author Conan Eaton in his book “Washington Island 1836-1896.”

So, it is with an asterisk, then, that we must qualify the statement that Washington Island was the first settlement of Icelanders in the U. S, or that they alone began the trend in emigration that eventually encouraged some 20,000 fellow countrymen to follow.

Noting Icelandic emigrant numbers on Washington Island, Eaton wrote that the community here may have numbered between 150 and 200 Icelanders, at most. And of those, some came and found disappointment, then moved on.

This we do know, through copies of letters held in our Island Archives and elsewhere: the generally positive experience of Washington Island’s four young men made an impact in Iceland. Their words of encouragement led directly to a greater emigration movement.

For that we take note, and in 2020 we choose to remember the contribution made by the arrival of those first four young Icelanders.

What drove them to emigrate?

By Conan Eaton’s account, it was William Wickmann, the Danish clerk who worked in the Eyrarbakki trading center, who encouraged his Icelandic friends to come to Milwaukee. Then, from Milwaukee, Wickmann further encouraged them to join him on Washington Island.

Once here, their hard work seemed to pay off, and their future looked better. Letters home encouraged others to follow, and, by 1872, another group numbering 17 were prepared to embark on their journey. This time, Washington Island was their geographic goal, not Milwaukee.

One young woman learned before sailing that she was pregnant and chose to remain in Iceland along with her husband. As a result, only 15—and not 17—made the journey.

During our 2015 family trip to Eyrarbakki, we were met by Audur Hildur Hakkonardottir, one of our hosts. She had created an exhibit in the museum there, the former home of the Danish consul in Eyrarbakki in the latter 1800s. Her exhibit depicted the early emigration to Washington Island, and her research revealed 17 names of Icelanders intending to emigrate in 1872.

But, in fact, only 15 arrived in North America. What happened to the remaining two, she wondered?

On a plane trip with a friend she explained her predicament, wondering who the two missing emigrants might have been. Her travel companion, Holmfridur Arnasdottir, recalled a story she learned as a child, that her great-grandmother decided not to travel to North America when she discovered that she was pregnant. Although Holmfridur could not remember the year this happened, it was apparent that Hildur had an answer, and that a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

In a further coincidence, through conversation between the Island’s Sally Schweikert and Principal Flutist of the Chicago Symphony, Stefan Ragnar Hoskulldsson, Sally spoke of Icelandic heritage on Washington Island. Stefan said that one of his forebears had withdrawn her name from the list of emigres, and for the same reason as stated in the above story: she found that she was pregnant and chose not to travel overseas on what would be an arduous journey. Could each story be of the same woman, the same prospective traveler to America? We hope to learn more about this story in the future.

From letters and records referred to by Eaton in his book about Washington Island’s Icelandic settlement, William Wickmann was the man most responsible for arrival of the first four young men.

But it was not a one-time activity. He then continued as the go-between for other Icelanders, helping with travel arrangements for those who followed, for making introductions and easing their cultural assimilation.

It is no wonder that Eyrarbakki Museum director Lydur Palsson stands in awe of William Wickmann, for all he did on behalf of Icelandic immigrants. His role was critical and needs to be remembered, as much as the lives of the four young Icelanders in 1870 who took a leap of faith by following him.

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