Monument dedicated in Iceland in honor of Utah pioneers

On a beautiful sunny day on June 30, 2000 overlooking the ocean and Mormon Pond, 100 friends, family descendants and government officials of Iceland gathered to honor 410 Icelanders "who heard the call to build zion and moved to Utah."

The Icelandic Association of Utah and friends raised enough funds and in kind donations to erect a monument that faces the Mormon Pond in West man Islands where many of these Icelanders were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The backdrop to the monument are the walls of an extinct volcano that rises to a height of 800 feet and is covered with grass, with thousands of birds nesting in cliffs. The monument faces a very rugged volcanic coast and the North Atlantic Ocean. Within the rocky coast is a tide pool known as Mormon Pond.

The monument base includes a five-foot center pedestal with the inscription "In Honor of those Icelanders who heard the call to build Zion and moved to Utah." the two side panels have the names of each of the 410 Icelanders who moved to Utah and the scripture from Ezekiel 20:34, "And I will bring you out from the people and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm..."

The sculpture on top of the center pedestal is an eight-foot tall angel with its hands in cupping shape reaching out in a giving manner helping everyone on their journey. It is also reaching out to the Mormon Pond and the ocean which the Icelanders had to cross to reach their new Zion. "The Messenger" was sculpted by Gary Price of Springville.

The dedication service was filled with emotion and thanksgiving for what these 410 Icelandic pioneers did as part of building the church. It was also a homecoming for them in as much as the 410 names had been formally returned to their homeland that they loved so much and placed on the monument as a lasting tribute to them.

The dedication service was conducted by Olafur Einarsson, District President for the LDS Church with remarks by Gudjob Hjorleifsson, Mayor of Vestmannaeyjar. "All of us gathered here today have a common root, Iceland, so we are all Icelanders in spirit and I am sure that in the hearts of all present this place and this occasion will have a special meaning," said Hjorleifsson.

"It is a great honor to participate in this special occasion of honoring these emigrants. The sculpture is of giving. The focal point is the outstretched hands to give us whatever we need to carry on our journey in the past as well as the future. We sometimes forget a divine orchestration in everything in our lives as we receive blessings given to us every day. We are privileged for we will receive blessings, everyday if we but partake of it," said Gary Price.

J. Brent Hammond of Springville, Vice consul of Iceland for Utah, said, "It is with gratitude that I speak to you today and for being able to walk on the ground that my grandmother played on. To be where her mother and father were baptized. I am grateful for the kindness and friendship of the people of Iceland that have been extended to us by the people of Vestmannaeyjar."

"This experience has sent us into a search for all who emigrated to Utah, and those numbers have grown from 371 to 410 emigrants which you see on the monument. They sacrificed to leave this beautiful land and leave their homes, family and friends. Some traveled as far as 15,000 kilometers and as long as 300 days, and as short as 27 days. There were two truths that were a big part of these emigrants, they gained a witness of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they should be a part of building Zion in Utah, and they never forgot their native land of Iceland."

"Looking back on these past 145 years we realize that we will always be in debt to these great people of courage who gave so much to us so that we might be with the pure in heart. We realize that our gift to them will only be a mere token of our appreciation. It is only fitting that the placement of this monument is here where their new life started. We have returned to the land that they loved for now they are home again spiritually. It is an honor be part of this great day," said Hammond.

Reference: The Springville Herald. "Monument dedicated in honor of pioneers" Section Three, Page 9, July 19, 2000

Thordur Dedrickson and his descendants.