From Washington Island to Iceland: A Homecoming
In 1987, a tour was planned for Washington Islanders to visit Iceland to reunite with relatives and connect with their homeland. A few curious travelers were also included. About eighty people represented their families, including Andersen, Hansen, Bjarnarson, Johnson, Engelson, Magnusson, Gunnerson, and our relatives, the Gudmundsens. I, along with my mom Pauline, Aunt Deloris, and sister Mimi, were a part of this wonderful experience.
Excitement was high upon arrival, and we were welcomed with a banquet dinner that made the Reykjavík news and television under the headline, “The Returning Washington Islanders.” The trip was organized by Ted and LuAnn Jessen who were familiar with the journey and wished to share it with others. It was well planned with time for family visits, sightseeing, and excursions.
Tours to the crater lakes, geysers, and waterfalls were met with exclamations of awe. Walking around the historic outdoor museum, we saw early dwellings partially built into the earth with sod roofs. At the harbor docks, fishermen in bright orange waders and wool sweaters worked on their boats and prepared fish for shipment. A long bus ride across the barren landscape took us to Vík, where we saw a picturesque white church set against the black lava terrain. In Eyrarbakki, we were warmly welcomed in a rustic setting to a beautifully arranged table with gracious hostesses serving Icelandic pancakes and coffee.
The highlight of our trip was meeting our relatives at the apartment of Björg Thorsteinsdóttir. Bjorg was a tall, beautiful woman and an accomplished artist, evidenced by her large abstract paintings that decorated her walls. She was also a printmaker and had recently been commissioned to design an Icelandic postage stamp. The family gathering included her mother, Stella; her sister, Dora; her brother; and her daughter, who was at that time a theater student in London. Time seemed to pass all too quickly as we exchanged stories, but the impressions and memories remain long-lasting.
The old Icelandic parliament was built at Thingvellir, where we could see the deep crevice where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet and slowly drift apart. We flew to Heimaey in the Westman Islands, where we witnessed the aftermath of the 1973 volcanic eruption. The devastation was visible with toppled homes half-covered in hardened lava. Walking on this black, crusty surface, one could feel the warmth of the so-called “fire” beneath our feet. On a very cold April day, we went for a swim in an outdoor pool, where the steam was so thick you could hardly see in front of you, all due to nature’s forces. These experiences certainly broadened my knowledge of our living planet.
At the time of our visit, the president of Iceland was a woman, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. Iceland has a democratic government and is known for its values of equality. I was impressed by the sophistication and progressiveness of Iceland while remaining fascinated by its old Norse heritage, poetry, sagas, and mysteries.
Our great-great-grandfather, Arni Gudmundsen, came to Washington Island in 1879, married Haldora Peterson, and together they had eight children. The harsh elements of the motherland possibly prepared our ancestors for adapting to our island. I am deeply appreciative of this rich heritage and my fellow Islanders. I’m especially grateful for Arni’s writings in the Door County Advocate and his letters back to Iceland, which left a trail for us to discover and inspired my curiosity of our heritage.
A recent exhibit in Berlin at the Gallery Gudmundsdottir featured the work of the late Björg Thorsteinsdóttir, honoring her artistic legacy. https://www.gallerygudmundsdottir.com/bjorg-thorsteinsdottir
