Bergland ‘trails’ church pioneers

Don’t be surprised if you see about 150 people walking, running, or biking on Highway 621 from Sleeman to Bergland this Saturday starting at 8 a.m.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be celebrating the pioneers who moved to Bergland from Minnesota in 1907, and the missionaries from Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) who helped establish the church in Northwestern Ontario in 1924.
Participating church members in the pioneer walk will come from Bergland, Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden, Atikokan, and Warroad.
The 150 participants, going over part of the route the pioneers and missionaries had travelled 90 years ago, will observe points of interest along the way with maps supplied by Kenora church members.
Members from the district have been assigned different activities for the day’s celebration, including games for children and youth at Bergland Park.
Everyone then will head back to the Bergland Chapel for dinner, followed by a skit and social.
Dorothy Gate, a member of the Bergland Chapel from Morson and a co-ordinator of the celebration, said planning for the event started back in February.
Gate’s brother-in-law, Bill, a member from Kenora, approached her with the idea and helped get the rest of the district involved.
Since Mormons all over North America have been taking part in celebrations this summer to mark the 150th anniversary of the “great trek” to Utah, district church members were more than happy to participate in this event to remember their roots.