The Árdal House
Home of Pétur Stefán Guðmundsson
and Guðrún Jóhanna Benjamínsdóttir
Built in 1901 in Arborg Manitoba

Velkominn á Niðjamótið Okkar!
[Welcome to our family reunion!]

That was the main greeting in July for the Gudmundson Family Reunion in Arborg. The occasion was 100 years since Arborg's establishment by one of the founding families, Pétur Stefán Guðmundsson and Guðrún Jóhanna Benjamínsdóttir. They were married in December 1878 in Húnavatnssýsla (County) and departed in 1883 from Northern Iceland to settle in Garðar, North Dakota. Guðrún's mother, Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir, immigrated with Pétur and Guðrun. Their stay, however, was short lived due to poor farming conditions (as documented by a brother in-law to Ingibjörg Ágústa, #4.0). They pulled up stakes from North Dakota in 1901 to resettle in Arborg, Manitoba. Their homestead, Árdal, was the beginning of Arborg's history. Their 9 children had many offspring. This was a time to get reacquainted. Arborg also celebrated its Centennial in July 2001. There were lots of activities for all ages.

Click to enlarge

The Gudmundson Family Reunion was held on the weekend of July 20 to 22, 2001. Arrangements at the Geysir Hall (6 miles East of Arborg) and at Arborg were as follows:

Friday, July 20	7:00 to 10:00 PM	Sign in at Geysir Hall
		Coffee & Dainties
		Viewing of Old Family Photos
Saturday, July 21	11:00 AM	Centennial Parade in Arborg
		Gudmundson Float in the Parade
	Noon to 5 PM	Arborg Exhibits and Rodeo
	6:30 PM	Supper (catered) at Geysir Hall with music
	7:30 PM	Program: Genealogy & History Video
	8:30 PM	Chatting and dancing with background music
Sunday, July 22	10:30 AM to noon	Brunch at Geysir Hall

Here are a few photos from the reunion weekend: