As early as 1882 a group of Icelanders from North Dakota settled in
Markerville, west of Red Deer. In 1892 a group of Swedes
followed and dispersed across the province, settling in areas such as
Calmar, Wetaskiwin and Camrose. In later years, groups of Swedes
moved into the region around Clive, Meeting Creek, Edberg, Kingman,
Donalda and Hay Lakes. The heaviest concentration took place
southwest of Edmonton. The Danes however, tended to settle
around Dickson, Olds, Markerville, Ponoka, Dalum and Standard, while
the Finns settled at Eckville, Sylvan Lake, Hughendon and Stettler.
The Norwegians were just as scattered, settling around places like
Foremost and Claresholm, even as far north as Grande Prairie.
Although each Scandinavian group had its own social and cultural
societies, and despite the fact that Scandinavian settlers were
scattered widely throughout the province, there did emerge a uniquely
Scandinavian way of life based upon shared ideas of social and
political activism, often centered around the Lutheran church.
Heritage Trails
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- Scandinavian, Place Names: Armena and Bardo- How did
the Alberta towns Armena and Bardo get their names? Hear the
story of two of the first Scandinavian settlements in the
province.
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- Scandinavian Names, Part Two: Dalum and Nuorison Creek-
Dalum got its name thanks to a group of Danish settlers who
settled near present-day Drumheller. Settlers from Finland
named Nuorison Creek. Hear more about these first Scandinavian
settlers.
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- Scandinavian Place Names, Part Three: Oyen and Standard-
The south-central part of Alberta has been a favourite of
Scandinavian settlers since the early part of the twentieth
century. Listen, and learn about the Norwegian Andrew family,
and the towns of Oyen and Standard.
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- Scandinavian Place Names: Thorsby and Tindastoll Creek-
Settlers from Sweden and Iceland named the towns of Thorsby
and Tindastoll in honour of their Scandinavian heritage.
Listen to find out more about these towns and their settlers.
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| Listen
- Scandinavian Place Names: Valhalla- Valhalla is the
mythical home of Viking gods, but it was also the Alberta home
of Scandinavian settlers led by Norwegian pastor H.N. Ronning.
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| Listen
- Markerville Creamery- The Markerville Creamery was an
initiative set up by Mr. C.P. Marker in 1902. Hear Dorothy
Field explain the history of this historic site.
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| Listen
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