Thortravels

Historian Jonas Thor has established his own travel agency, Thortravels (Vesturheimur sf in Icelandic). In cooperation with INL Iceland, the company concentrates on arranging tours from Iceland to North America and tours in Iceland for travelers from the US and Canada.

Thor intends to continue his research and writing of material concerning the history of Icelandic people in North America. Finally, Thortravels supports all promotion of Icelandic culture in North America.

Tours to Iceland from Manitoba click here to see ad. Click here to see itinerary

Heritage Tour 2010 from other North American Gateways click here for more info.

HERITAGE TOURS TO ICELAND
VISIT THE LAND OF YOUR ANCESTORS

Some 83 North American Icelanders took part in the first Heritage Tour of Iceland organized by Thortravels (Vesturheimur sf) and Geo Travel in Winnipeg. Participants from all corners of North America flew to Iceland on Icelandair flights from Minneapolis and Toronto on June 3^rd.

This was followed by a tour around the island with stops every day at some significant sites, both historical and scenic. During the winter, many provided information on their Icelandic background and with the help of Mr.Halfdan Helgason, an expert genealogist, and contributions from others such as Nelson Gerrard, living relatives in Iceland were discovered as well as the original farmstead from where forefathers left for America. It was rewarding to witness people greet relatives for the first time or see them walk up to a farm to take photos of the birthplace of their ancestors.

Mr.Valgeir Þorvaldsson at the Emigration Centre in Hofsos had prepared a remarkably eventful day which ended with a dinner and a wonderful entertainment unforgettable to all who participated.

Likewise, the Emigration Centre in East Iceland led by Cathy Josephson, had assisted many in not only finding relatives but also provided transportation to remote areas from where ancestors left for North America. A wonderful reception at Vopnafjordur completed a fine day in the north east

Mr.Brian Johannesson was on the tour and captured events on camera. Click on his

http://www.winnipegfalcons.com/falcons/iceland2009/index.html (CTRL + link)

to see some photos of the many memorable moments.

FOR TOUR INFORMATION CONTACT Jonas Thor at jonas.thor1@gmail.com
For registration & payments contact Joanne Sigurdson 204- 989- 4820 or jsigurdson@geo.ca

Tour to Iceland June 2009

Here are two articles written about the tour.

Article by Karen Busch

Article by Carrie Heiser

Trip of Fjölbrautarskólinn í Garðabæ

Please click on the following links to see photos courtesy of Guðmundur Páll Ásgeirsson

Pictures from New Iceland and Winnipeg .

Pictures from North Dakota

Pictures from Itasca State Park, Duluth and Minneapolis

In the 19^th century thousands of Icelanders emigrated and settled either in Canada or the US. The first were Icelandic Mormons who arrived in Utah as early as 1856 but in 1870 the so-called emigration period began and it ended in 1914. By that time more than 14 thousand people had left Iceland for the New World. Soon Icelandic settlements were found in numerous States and many Canadian provinces.

INL Iceland has for several years organized tours to these places. The main purpose has always been to meet with the descendants of the pioneers from Iceland. In preparations for each tour, INL Iceland has emphasized the importance of the history of Icelanders in North America. A journey through the Canadian prairie or the US plains, through endless rural communities is of little value if there is no knowledge about the history of the settlers.

Why did the Icelanders settle in Shawano County or Washington Island in Wisconsin? Why were the settlements in Kinmount, Ontario and Nova Scotia doomed to fail? What prompted numerous immigrants from Iceland to settle on Point Roberts in WA? Why is Winnipeg the capital of Icelanders in North America?

The individual chapters of the Icelandic National League, as well as other Icelandic organizations in North America, are always involved and help in making the visits to the different communities more meaningful. The travelers from Iceland are given the opportunity to meet local Icelanders, share common interests and almost without exception, some visitors from Iceland discover relatives in the local crowd. Thortravels, in collaboration with the Emigration Center in Hofsos, Iceland, and Mr.George Freeman in Grand Forks,ND, intends to offer participants in the tours as much genealogical help as possible.

It is much too common that descendants of Icelandic immigrants arrive in Iceland hoping to find relatives during their short stay but leave the island without finding any. Neither did they have much luck in locating the district from which their ancestors headed to the New World. They traveled on their own, not knowing where to look or who to contact.

Thortravels, in collaboration with Icelandic associations in North America, intends to organize tours to Iceland, which cater to the interests of people of Icelandic descent in North America. An Icelandic-Canadian or an Icelandic-American visits Iceland for different reasons than the average tourist. The beauty of the island, the life and culture, are obviously just as remarkable to them but where lie their roots? Is the old farm still standing? Where is that mountain the grandparents often spoke about? The green valley? The deep fjord? Or the volcano, glacier, waterfall and hot spring?

North American Icelanders, interested in their background in Iceland, should contact their local Icelandic chapter or association in order to find out more about what Thortravels has to offer.

Although Thor has written Icelanders in North America: The First Settlers, which was published by the University of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg, Canada in 2002 he intends to continue his research and writing. At the moment he is writing the same history in Icelandic. Articles and historical material of various nature will appear on the website on regular basis.