Hecla Island, is located on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. It is now part of Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park with a rich historic fishing community background.
The Icelandic fishing community, established around 1876 once self-sufficient community thrived on fishing, farming, lumbering, lake transport, trapping, and quarrying, reflecting a resilient and adaptable spirit with many artifacts from the past still present throughout the small community.
Hecla Island developed into a provincial park in 1969. The park has become somewhat of a tourist attraction with little commerce from the past left today. The Icelandic culture is still very much present and is a sweet spot to spend some time exploring the history.
The Park is rich with landscapes, including lush forests, rugged shorelines, scenic beaches, and diverse wildlife. Wildlife includ black bears, moose, timber wolves, foxes, beavers, as well as various species of birds including bald eagles, common loons, and American white pelicans, offering a haven for wildlife enthusiasts.
Over 350 privately owned cottages, a general store, sandy beaches, are part of this landscape within the park setting. The Annual Grindstone Days in early August​ opens the doors for activities and historic entertainment.
A friend of mine and myself spent an afternoon photographing some of the area. Being on the lake the day was cool but rewarding as we discovered a few areas to photograph and spend some time together enjoying our photographic hobby. All in all the trek to Hecla was enjoyable and would be a great venture out for a family to spend some time in an Iclandic community near one of the largest lakes in Manitoba.