Helga, like Stephan, had been raised within the tenets of an orthodox Lutheran Church in Iceland. Unlike Stephan, however, Helga continued to engage with her faith throughout her life. While both she and Stephan attended church in Wisconsin and Dakota, by the time they were settled in Markerville Stephan had cut ties with the church and organized religion. Even so, “it appears that Helga was concerned for her children’s moral upbringing. Family members, sans [Stephan], partook in readings from the Bible and attended the Markerville church whenever Hjalmsson or another minister preached.” (Poet of the Rocky Mountains, p.108)
Perhaps she may even have attended an Easter service at the Markerville Lutheran Church.
Image courtesy Provincial Archives of Alberta, “Markerville, Alberta”, [between 1905 and 1907]. A4661.
Obtained from an Easter 2025 post on the Stephan G. Stephansson Facebook page.
A black-and-white photo from between 1905 and 1907 shows a group gathered in front of a white wooden Lutheran Church with a tall steeple. Men, women, and children stand in formal attire on the grass and church steps.
Baldur Stefánsson was born on September 25 in 1879 at Shawano, Wisconsin. At the age of ten he would leave with his family for their new home near Markerville, in the North-West Territories (now Alberta).
The photo below was taken in Dakota, shortly before they left. Baldur is on the left, Gudmundur in the center, and Jakob on the right.
Image courtesy Provincial Archives of Alberta, PH75.28.3.
Baldur is on the left, Gudmundur is seated in the center, and Jakob on the right.
On September 15, 1972, the Markerville Creamery closed its doors. It would re-open as a historic site in 1986.
The Creamery was started by the Tindastoll Butter and Cheese Manufacturing Association Limited, which was formed in August 1899 in Tindastoll, now Markerville, Alberta. The association was composed of a board of directors, which included a president, vice president, and three directors. The members of the first board of directors included Dan Morkeberg, J.M. Johnson, S. Goodman, J. Benedickson, and G. Thorlakson, with Stephan G. Stephansson as the first secretary. On March 5, 1910 the name of the association was changed to the Markerville Butter and Cheese Manufacturing Association.
Images of Dan Morkeberg at the Creamery, 1899 P7725, the Markerville Creamery [1901], P7726 and Markerville Creamery [1908], P7726 courtesy Red Deer Archives.
Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency was home to Pretty Good Cellos with Pat Connick and Renu Mathew from August 6th – 12th, 2025.
Pat and Renu are working on fine tuning and enlarging their repertoire of cello duet music that they will be performing in Alberta at various venues. Pat is a skilled musician; many of the pieces in their repertoire have been specifically arranged by Pat as cello duets. Both Pat and Renu play multiple instruments but their common interest is mastering the cello. They both enjoy playing classical, popular and traditional folk music.
They have enjoyed the historic Lutheran Church as a venue to practice due to its excellent unique acoustics. The Buttermaker’s House Artist in Residence Program has provided them an opportunity to focus on modifying and perfecting their cello duet music.
Pretty Good Cellos performed at the Cream Day Celebrations August 10th, 2025. On Monday, August 11th, Pat and Renu invited friends and acquaintances to join them at the Markerville Church for a concert and informal conversation about cellos, duets, and music.
Pat Connick was born in Ontario but spent the majority of her life in Alberta and British Columbia. She has worked in the health care field for many years and is currently practicing medicine in Calgary.
Renu Mathew was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta. In addition to being a musician, she is a multi-disciplinary artist. She has appeared on several skilled based reality shows: The Great Chocolate Showdown Season 1 (Food Network) and the Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown Season 1 (CBC). She resides in Olds and is a full-time art and ceramics teacher.
Darcy Shearer was out there on the airwaves this morning to promote the upcoming Cream Day Celebrations in Markerville! Click the link to take a listen and then mark Sunday, August 10th on your calendar.
Calgary Eyeopener with Loren McGinnis, Angela Knight Aug. 8, 2025: Talk of the Town – Markerville
Helga Stephansson’s life was marked by resilience, quiet strength, and a deep commitment to both family and community. Born in Iceland and married at 19 in the first recorded Icelandic wedding in the United States (1876), Helga’s early years were spent doing domestic work to support her family before starting her own.
In 1889, pregnant and seeking a better future, Helga moved with her husband Stephan to the Markerville area. There, they built not just a home, but a life rooted in hard work and mutual respect. Their marriage may not have been a romantic love story, but it was a true partnership—one in which Helga had equal say in farm decisions and retained ownership of her earnings, a rare and significant stance for a woman at the time.
Raising eight children over 21 years, Helga’s days were filled with childrearing, homemaking, and letter writing. She remained the steady hand at home while her husband traveled widely for speaking engagements. After the tragic death of her son Gestur, Helga developed a lasting fear of thunderstorms—an enduring symbol of a mother’s grief.
Beyond her family, Helga gave generously to her community. She was a dedicated member of the Vonin Ladies Aid Society, contributing to the care and well-being of Markerville and its residents.
Her story is one of quiet leadership, enduring strength, and the often-unseen labour that built strong prairie communities.
Today, visitors to the Stephansson House Historic Site see not just a poet’s workspace, but also glimpse the life of Helga—the steadfast partner whose contributions made it all possible.
💛 Celebrate Helga’s legacy: the unsung pioneer woman whose dedication and endurance shaped a family and community.
In 1888, after arriving with the first group of Icelandic settlers in the area, Jónas Húnfjörður (Hunford) suggested June 27th be designated as Markerville’s official founding date. That first group included the following men and their families: Sigurður J. Björnsson, Ólafur Ólafsson from Espihóli, Benidikt Ólafsson, Einar Jónsson, Sigurður Árnason, Bjarni Jónsson, Jónas J. Hunford, Benidikt Jónsson Bardal, Gísli Jónsson Dalmann. The group also included single men: Guðmundur Þorláksson, Jón Guðmundarson and Jósef Jónsson. In Winnipeg, the families of Jóhann Björnsson and Eyjólfur Helgason, and one single man, Jón Einarsson, joined.
While the community was originally known as Tindastoll, after a mountain in Skagafjörður, Iceland, it was renamed Markerville in 1903 after Alberta Dairy Commissioner C.P. Marker, who established a government creamery there.
You can find some of Jónas’ account in the 1909 edition of the Almanak.
The Republic of Iceland was formed on June 17, 1944, aligning with the birth date of Jón Sigurðsson, a key leader early in the fight for independence.
In keeping with Iceland’s peaceful nature and the preservation of its culture despite foreign rule, here are some key historical points on Iceland’s independence:
870s – 1222: Initial Viking settlement and clan wars. 1222 – 1264: Age of the Sturlungs, ending with unification under Norwegian rule. Late 1300s: Union with Denmark, leading to harsh conditions for Icelanders. 1550: Execution of Reverend Jón Arason for resisting Danish religious changes. 1811: Birth of Jón Sigurðsson, who led the national awakening. 1904: Home rule granted, but Denmark retained control over key affairs. 1918: Iceland became a sovereign kingdom under Denmark. WWII: British and later US troops occupied Iceland to prevent German invasion. 1944: Full independence achieved on June 17, with the US being the first to recognize it.
Throughout this period, Iceland maintained its cultural identity and built key institutions like the University of Iceland, consecrated in 1940.
Iceland’s Independence Day commemorates all these milestones while looking towards the future of this resilient nation.
Stephan and Helga Stephansson’s family about 1905: Gestur, Jakob, and Guðmundur standing left to right; Baldur, Fanny, and Jenny seated, with Rósa in front.
