Icelandic heritage in Spanish Fork, Utah
Spanish Fork, Utah, was the first Icelandic settlement in the United States. Icelandic people settled there primarily from 1855 to 1914. Icelandic influence in Spanish Fork is still prevalent today. This is primarily visible in the Icelandic Monument found in Spanish Fork, as well as the festivals that have been held over the years to pay tribute to the Icelandic people who helped establish Spanish Fork. Icelanders in Spanish Fork There was a large religious component in the motivation of the early Icelandic settlers coming to Utah. A majority of the Icelandic people that settled in Spanish Fork were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, especially in the earlier years. These people learned of the Church while they were still in Iceland. The first people to bring word of the Church to the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), which is where many of these Icelandic immigrants lived before they came to America, were Thorarinn Haflidason and Gudmundur Gudmundsson. They had learned about the religion while they were in Denmark learning trade. They brought their new religion back to the Vestmannaeyjar, and taught it to their friends and family there. The people who converted to the Church of