On 3 August 1996, a monument dedicated to the memory of Swedish pioneers who arrived at this site in the Rural Municipality of Rosser, near the village of Meadows, in 1931.
The roots of the this Swedish settlement can be traced to the 15th century on the island of Dago, near Estonia, where in 1470 a Swedish colony was established. During the reign of Catherine II of Russia, 1200 Swedish settlers were moved in 1781 to South Ukraine. Less than half survived the trek. Over the next 148 years, they established farms, managing to preserve their language and church at Gammalsvenskby village along the Dnieper River. During the Russian Revolution, the Swedes lost their village and land. With the help of the Swedish Red Cross and under the leadership of Pastor Kristoffer Hoas, they arrived in Sweden on 1 August 1929. They brought a few personal belongings and their church bells which are housed at Roma Church in Gotland, Sweden. Some returned to Russia, many remained in Sweden, and 70 immigrated to Canada. After remaining at Wetaskawin, Alberta for eleven months, more than half came to Manitoba, locating land and settling at Meadows on 17 April 1931.
Nine shareholders signed a contract to rent and eventually own 3,750 acres, known as Camp 1. This land was cooperatively operated on a crop share basis for 22 years and, in 1953, divided into nine, 420-acre parcels.
The original families that settled at Meadows were as follows:
Andrew & Julianna Malmas
Fredrick & Margareta Malmas
John & Emma Malmas
Peter & Alvina Malmas
Julius & Maria Norberg
John & Maria Norberg
Andrew & Elfreda Norberg
Ted & Meta Norberg
Peter & Katarina Hoas
John & Kristina Hoas
Leo & Maria Lally (Knutas)
Swedish pioneers commemorative monument (August 2010)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.03427, W97.63153
denoted by symbol on the map above
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 December 2019
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