Named after an Icelandic volcanic mountain, Hekkla is a village just east of Rosseau. In the 1870s, Icelandic settlers arrived at the Immigration House in Rosseau to take up the free grant land promised to them by Canadian Land Agents. But when they arrived and found out the agents had misrepresented the grant provisions, Hekkla’s character was established. Even before the site of the village was determined, the will to survive on the rugged frontier of trees and rock was being sculpted. No longer is Hekkla solely an Icelandic community. Yet even with its cultural diversification, its character is unmistakably strong with a neighbourly bond that has kept its identify separate and self rejuvenating.

Sources: Currie, Ted, The Muskoka Sun, August 10, 1989

Note: A number of settlers abandoned the fledgling hamlet to seek out more established Icelandic communities, and many of their stories are inspiring to the student of history, following their journey to more suitable agricultural land.