Article appeared in the Nov 10 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
Located at 1 Queen St. at the mouth of the Icelandic River, Engimyri House in Riverton is the oldest unaltered house of its kind in the area. It was built in about 1900 by the Jonasson family, pioneers who settled the area in 1877. The home, which was last occupied about 12 years ago, has been in the same family for 134 years, and has been awarded Century Farm status.
The house had, at one time, served as both the family home and as an inn for travellers and traders because of its location. It is about two miles inland from Lake Winnipeg at the most northerly point of Colonization Rd., a road which originated from Boundary Creek to the south.
‘Engimyri’, translated from Icelandic, means ‘hay meadow marsh’. While this name is apt for its Riverton location, it was also brought with Tomas Jonasson from Iceland, whose farm there bore the same name.
Restoration of the house has recently been begun by Icelandic River Heritage Sites, Inc. So far, the house has been cleaned out and many of the walls stripped down to the original Fir bead board. The building’s roof has already been refurbished with new Cedar shakes.
“The roof was the urgent thing,” said Nelson Gerrard, the organization’s Vice-President.
On Nov. 7, Gimli MLA Peter Bjornson visited the site to present a cheque in the amount of $3,900, under the Manitoba Community Places Program, to Treasurer, Wanda Anderson. Several members of Icelandic River Heritage Sites, Inc. were also in attendance.
The grant will help cover the cost of the roof restoration.
The group has a great vision for the heritage home, wanting it to be more than a museum.
“We want it to be a working building, with an office here…a coffee house and an (enlarged) working kitchen,” said Gerrard. “We’ll be welcoming the public for events within two years.”
Tour groups from Iceland will be hosted, and visits from writers, historians and other interested parties is anticipated. The organization is also hoping to transform the upstairs of the house into guest accommodations.
For more information about the Icelandic River Heritage Sites, Inc., visit their website at www.icelandicriver.com.
