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Swedish Press N Y A
S V E N S K A
www.SwedishPress.com
Winnipeg – Gateway to the West
P R E S S E N
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October 2020 Vol 91:08 $5.95
08 2020
Swedish Pioneers in Manitoba Tales from the Loop COVID-19 Update
THE SWEDISH COMMUNITY OF
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By Nancy Drews
any refer to Winnipeg as “Winterpeg” due to our challenging winter season, but us proud Winnipeggers know our city is so much more and refer to it as vibrant, artistic and multicultural. Within the downtown radius you will find the bustling high-rises, the early 20th century architecture of the Exchange District, the modern architectural of the Museum of Human Rights, and the historical significance of The Forks – for over 6,000 years a meeting place at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. This is a city where within a short drive you can surround yourself with beautiful, lush, green countryside filled with pristine lakes, as well as fertile farm fields as far as the eye can see. It is no small wonder that over 100 years ago our Swedish ancestors settled in this area and called it home. Scandinavia monument (2010) Source: Allan Drysdale Swedish immigration to Manitoba began in the 1870s when the Province was founded. The majority of Swedes first settled in the countryside, attracted by the opportunity of owning farmland. The first rural Swedish colony in Canada was the community of Scandinavia, established in 1885 and situated some 250 km northwest of Winnipeg. This became known as Little Sweden. In the 1920s, a large number of Swedes also found their way to Winnipeg from the United States. The city was known as the “Swedish Capital of Canada” up until 1940. After 1945 Swedish immigrants included engineers, businessmen and representatives of Swedish export industries who settled in the city. The Swedish Cultural Association of Manitoba (SCA) or “Svenska Kulturföreningen av Manitoba” is the official name of the Swedish Club and is one of the five Nordic clubs under the umbrella of the Scandinavian Cultural Centre (SCC) in
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Winnipeg, incorporated in 1961. This is the home where the Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish and Danish ethnic traditions are proudly represented. It is a meeting place where members attend events and embrace the fellowships The Scandinavian Cultural Centre that have developed. They in Winnipeg. Photo: SCA often roll up their sleeves while sharing the common value and purpose – to preserve, promote and celebrate the Scandinavian culture, and provide a venue for all to discover their Nordic heritage. The members of the SCA are actively developing a rapport with communities, organizations and local businesses throughout Winnipeg and Manitoba who share an interest in Swedish culture. In the early 1900s Winnipeg was the main centre for Swedish organizations in North America, such as Vasa Order of America, founded in Canada in 1913. Vasa maintains its proud presence in Winnipeg with its Lodge Strindberg members and has continued to strengthen its partnership with the Swedish Cultural Association. Situated on a beautiful landscape estate, Vasa Lund Park, Lodge Strindberg hosts Carol Simonson Gunvaldsen several Swedish events playing the nyckelharpa. Photo: SCA throughout the year, the most memorable of which is Midsommar. As spring slowly turns to summer, this traditional celebration attracts young and old alike to the park where music, song, dancing around the Maypole and games like Kubb are played. The local IKEA department store and the Swedish Cultural
Association have partnered together to enhance the traditions for our members, as well as for the general public. “It has been such an amazing journey to build a strong bond with the Swedish community in Winnipeg. Your presence at the events has provided an authentic flair and enabled our coworkers to learn more about the Swedish culture,” says Daevid Ramey, Communications & Community Engagement Specialist at IKEA. Throughout the year special occasion buffets are offered at IKEA’s spacious dining hall, festively decorated for the occasion, whether during Easter, Crayfish Feast in August and Julbord in December. Swedes and non- Crayfish feast at IKEA. Photo: SCA Swedes alike flock to enjoy these popular celebrations. Winnipeg is known for its diversity, culture and worldrenowned festivals of all kinds held throughout the year. One festival in Winnipeg that ranks especially high among our Swedish and Scandinavian partners is Folklorama – the largest and longest running multi-cultural festival in the world! This diverse festival was created in 1970 to commemorate Manitoba’s centennial. The Scandinavian Pavilion was not only one of the first pavilions to join, but has continued to support this festival for over 50 years. With time, Folklorama has grown from the initial 21 pavilions and 75,000 attendees to 45 pavilions scattered across the city, and between 400,000 to 450,000 attendees annually. During this two-week cultural extravaganza, the Scandinavian Pavilion, located at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre, is a popular Scandia Fun Folk Dancers. Photo: SCA venue for celebrating the heritage of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland through music, song, dance and of course food, all under one roof. Step inside the Centre to take a trip through Nordic countries as you walk along the colourful cultural displays, sample the mouth-watering authentic cuisines, listen to the music and watch the talented Scandia
Fun Folk Dancers as they pay tribute to these beautiful nations. Our very own chefs work tirelessly in the commercial kitchen at the Scandinavian Centre to bring a delicious assortment of Scandinavian cuisine such as rosemary glazed pork tenderloin, braised red cabbage, open-faced shrimp sandwiches, lefsa, rice pudding, and one of my favourites – stewed rhubarb and strawberries served with a dollop of whipped cream. Is your mouth watering yet? A unique feature at the Scandinavian Pavilion during Folklorama is listening to the beautiful melodies of the Sill-I-Tones, a folk music group that specializes in traditional music from all the Nordic countries. A special treat is listening to the sounds of an ancient Swedish instrument, the nyckelharpa, as played by one of our members. This is a Swedish traditional string instrument that has been played for over 600 years. The Centre’s annual Viking Feast is held in October, where the five competitive Nordic nations strive for top place during the Viking Games, then retreat to enjoy a feast of whole roasted pig. Artisans are given the limelight during our annual Christmas Market and Café in November where unique Scandinavian crafts, intricately designed jewellery, hand woven items and even Viking artifacts are sold. The Café features a delicious assortment of Scandinavian delicacies, while imported Scandinavian foods, candy and home baking are also for sale. During the holiday season the SCC feels it is very important to involve our children in the traditions, and the Children’s Christmas Party fits the bill. Multiple craft stations are set up at the Centre with each Nordic country bringing a unique craft for the children to make. The Swedish Club has demonstrated the making of smällkaramell – Christmas tree ornaments made with tissue paper and filled with candy. On or around December 13th, the children help to celebrate Lucia, the beautiful festival of lights that brings this wonderful Swedish holiday tradition into our hearts. The Swedish community in Winnipeg has developed partnerships that strive to preserve our heritage. The strength lies with the people who give their time and energy towards something they believe in, while having a lot of fun doing it. For that reason, we continue to celebrate our culture and will do so for years to come. www.ScandianvianCentre.ca.
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H E RITAG E
A Blacksmith Turned Missionary
The First Swede in Manitoba
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onsidered the first Swede in Manitoba, and Minnesota’s first Swede, Jacob Fahlstrom is the only known Swede to immigrate via Hudson Bay, arriving at York Factory in a Hudson’s Bay Company ship in 1811. Born near Stockholm, Sweden on 25 July 1793, he had signed a five-year contract before boarding the ship at Stornoway, Scotland. By 1812 Jacob is listed as living at Playgreen Lake, Manitoba, near the north end of Lake Winnipeg. Following the end of his contract, he was hired by the rival North West Company, leaving their employ at Sault Ste Marie to join the American Fur Company. Jacob’s Territory of Minnesota Declaration of Intention document, dated 2 September 1850, gives his date of birth as 1796 and places his entry into the United States at Mackinaw Island, then Michigan Territory, in 1814. Having developed close cultural ties with the Ojibwa, he became known as “Yellow Head” for the blonde colour of his hair. He married Margaret Bonga in 1823 in Fond du Lac, Minnesota, with whom he had nine children. Margaret was the daughter of an Ojibwa woman and
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Jacob Fahlstrom. Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center
Pierre Bonga who worked for the North West Company around 1804 –1814 and then for the American Fur Company. Jacob is mentioned as being in the region of the Minnesota River by 1819 when the U.S. Army arrived to build Fort Snelling at the confluence with the Mississippi River. Jacob worked as a ‘striker’ in the blacksmith shop at Fort Snelling and the associated Indian Agency. His home is recorded as a blacksmith shop on a map of the area made in 1832. He is also said to have supplied the Fort with wood, as well as carrying the mail north to the Lake Superior region, and from Prairie du Chien to St Croix Falls. Although technically illegal for civilians to settle on military land, the Fahlstrom family and others were living in the Coldwater Spring area near Fort Snelling, Minnesota because they were considered useful. With the signing of the Mendota treaty in 1839, civilians were asked to leave. Those who resisted were forcibly evicted. The family moved
across the river, unaware they were still on Fort land. Evicted twice more, Fahlstrom is said to have determined to walk east until the sun set, sure that then he would be well and truly away from the army. This is supposedly why he named his farm Afton (‘afternoon’ or ‘evening’ in Swedish). In 1838 Jacob settled on a farm in Washington County, Minnesota and later converted from Lutheranism to become a Methodist missionary known as Father Jacob. He is said to have carried with him a pocket bible written in Swedish which was a gift from his mother. He died on 29 July 1859 and is buried in a cemetery on the Fahlstrom’s Valley Creek farm in Washington County. Margaret died on 6 February 1880 and is also buried in the family plot on the old homestead. Compiled from various sources, including Elinor Barr’s book “Swedes in Canada: Invisible Immigrants.” Reproduced with permission from the Swedish Cultural Association of Manitoba.
This children’s book written by R. B. Cape is inspired by the life of Jacob Fahlström.
H E RI TAG E
Four Generations of Swedish Immigrants
Manitoba – Where Swedish Roots Run Deep By Noelle Norman
“This is it,” says Alvin Goranson and points to the rows of Swedish tombstones behind him at the Nord cemetery just west of Eriksdale, Manitoba. Cenotaphs and rocks are the only markers left on the land his parents and grandparents once came to Canada to farm.
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mmigration from Sweden to Canada started slowly. However, with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to Winnipeg in 1881 and British Columbia in 1885, the prairies opened up to homesteaders and Winnipeg became the Nordic gateway to the West. With its rail and retail centre, also known as the “Chicago of the North”, most Swedes passed through the city as part of the immigration process. The Canadian government and the CPR did their best to attract Swedish immigrants to Canada through advertisement and agents in Sweden. In 1885, the government set aside two tracts of land for Scandinavian immigrants. One, located north of Whitewood in Saskatchewan, was called New Stockholm. The other, located northwest of Winnipeg near Minnedosa, was known as New Sweden or Scandinavia. In 1908,
Eriksdale memorial plaque.
the community of Avesta was established. Later, the name was changed to “Erickson”, in honour of the first Postmaster, a Swedish immigrant named Albert Erickson. Of the Swedes who settled in Manitoba, nearly half lived in or around Winnipeg which remained the “Swedish Capital of Canada” until the 1940s when Vancouver took over the title. The rest spread westward to places like Scandinavia, Erickson, Hilltop and Smoland; eastward to the Lac du Bonnet/ Riverland area; or, like Alvin Goranson’s parents, northward to Eriksdale/Lillesve in the Interlake region. Alvin’s father Jonas Göranson arrived in Eriksdale from Jämtland, Sweden, in 1906, making him one of the first settlers in the area. At that time there was no train, so he would have had to walk from Oak Point to his homestead situated about 20 miles to the south. Later, Alvin’s grandparents followed,
claiming a sizable plot of land nearby. Alvin indicates where their house used to be. It has since burnt down, but the tremendous piles of rock they cleared from the soil still stand. The stone-filled soil made the farming here challenging. Many families moved elsewhere as soon as they could, but the Göransons stuck it out. “If there was nothing else to do, we were told to go pick rocks,” Alvin remembers. “There was never an idle moment.” While he doesn’t farm anymore, Alvin and his wife have stayed in the area. So has his son Todd who now works for the Department of Agriculture. But while the pastoral landscape is reminiscent of Sweden, the legacy of the Swedes who once farmed these lands is vanishing. When asked what remains of his Swedish heritage, Todd Goranson replies: “We maintain some of what we would call traditional Swedish foods, mostly at Christmas. We make a Swedish thin bread and eat lutfisk, but the language is gone.” 86-year-old Alvin is the last family member still able to understand and speak Swedish. As for Todd, he only knows one phrase: “Ät och tig!” (shut up and eat!) he laughs.
Alvin Goranson at Nord cemetery.
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Hemma hos
Swedish Artist lands Manitoba-filmed TV series with his brilliant Sci-Fi art
[Design]
By Kristi Robinson
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he island of Färingsö on Lake Mälaren, not too far from Stockholm, is where digital artist Simon Stålenhag spent his childhood. It is also the setting for his art that paints an alternate reality where the modest Swedish countryside meshes with dystopian elements of broken robots, abandoned machinery, and even dinosaurs. Simon didn’t set out to create sci-fi art. At the core of his work he depicts traditional Swedish landscapes, reminiscent of life and his youth in the late 80’s/early 90’s. It just happens to take on a retro futuristic tone with elements like robots hanging around. Using photographs he has snapped of areas around his hometown for reference, Simon’s illustrations are created to look like oil paintings by using digital media to create lifelike brushstrokes. Though the story was
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always there, he penned it into a narrative book of his illustrations, ‘Tales from the Loop’. In it, the Swedish government ordered the construction of the world’s largest particle accelerator. Built in Mälaröarna, the locals call it ‘Slingan’ (the Loop). Defunct since the mid 90’s, it leaves its mark on a generation. These interactions and technological side effects are what ‘Tales from the Loop’ is about – mainly set in Sweden, but also journeying through Nevada and Siberia. The book caught the attention of writer and producer Nathaniel Halpern, and in April of this year Amazon released the TV series ‘Tales from
the Loop’. Halpern crafted a different version of the story – an underground experimental physics facility accommodates ‘the Loop’, a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe. Eight one-hour long episodes in the series explore the happenings of the people who live above the loop. Set in the American Midwest town of Mercer, Ohio, the backdrop for filming was chosen in Manitoba, Canada. The scenes for the town of Mercer were shot in downtown Morden with its brick storefronts and clock tower. Scenes were also filmed in the city of Winnipeg, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, and in Birds Hill and Buffalo Pound Provincial Parks.
Although Halpern’s made-forscreen storyline differed from the original book version, he didn’t forgo all Swedish sensibilities. The car driven by the main family in the show is a Volvo, and the characters’ wardrobe has a decidedly subtle Scandinavian vibe. Another interesting Swedish-Manitoba connection is that Carla Lamoureaux, who works at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, had a large shipping container n her family for almost seventy years that came from Sweden’s oldest bakery in Malmö. Finding a new home for the container, she
Hemma hos
posted an ad for it on the local Kijiji and was contacted by the production crew on the show who took it to be used as a prop. Though Simon wasn’t heavily involved in the making of ‘Tales
from the Loop’, he did consult with the team. Going to Manitoba, he described the oddity of ending up in a place on the other side of the world that was like an image of where he’s from. He says he got on a plane,
travelled 20 hours, and ended up somewhere that looks exactly the same – maybe an alternate reality playing out in real life? All images are artwork from Simon Stålenhag’s ‘Tales from the Loop’. Photos © Simon Stålenhag
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