Sigríður Tómasdóttir (1871–1957) was an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

whose activism helped preserve Gullfoss waterfalls, protecting it from industrialization. She is widely seen as Iceland's first environmentalist and is memorialized on a sculpture near Gullfoss.Neil Parmar
"The Badass Woman Who 'Saved' this Icelandic Treasure,"
'' Ozy'', May 23, 2017.

Early life

Sigríður was born in Brattholt in 1874 and grew up on her family's sheep farm. She did not receive any official education but was well read and artistic. She and her sisters would act as guides for visitors of the waterfalls."Sigridur Tomasdottir,"Nordic Adventure Travel website
retrieved November 27, 2018.

Activism

In 1907, landowners including Sigríður's father, Tómas Tómasson, signed a deal to allow the construction of a

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

across the Hvítá River that would result in the submergence of Gulfoss. Upset by the deal, she took legal action against the development and staged several protests. She made numerous treks of 120 kilometers to

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, by some accounts on foot, to meet with government officials and later threatened to throw herself in the waterfalls."Gullfoss, the story behind Iceland's most famous waterfall,"Gullfoss.org
retrieved November 27, 2018. She was represented legally by

Sveinn Björnsson Sveinn Björnsson (; 27 February 1881 – 25 January 1952) was the first president of Iceland (1944–1952). Background, education and legal career Sveinn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark as the son of Björn Jónsson (editor and later minister) ...

, who later became Iceland's first president. Tómasdóttir's efforts ultimately failed with the legal system but gained positive public attention. The lease contracts later were canceled and the hydroelectric project was never constructed. Gullfoss and the surrounding area was eventually sold to the Icelandic government and was made a permanent conservation site in 1979.Linda Harris Sittig
"Sigridur Tomasdottir, Steward of the Land,"StrongWomenInHistory.com/
May 28, 2012.

Legacy

Sigríður died in 1957 and was buried in the Haukadalur cemetery. The sculptor

Ríkarður Jónsson Ríkarður Jónsson (20 September 1888 – 17 January 1977) was an Icelandic sculptor. Early training Ríkarður was born in the Icelandic east coast village of Djúpivogur. His mother was Ólöf Finnsdóttir and his father was Jón Þóra ...

made a memorial to Tómasdóttir that stands near Gulfoss.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tómasdóttir, Sigríður 1874 births 1957 deaths Sigrídur Tomasdottir Sigridur Tomasdottir Sigridur Tomasdottir Sigrídur Tomasdottir