Curiosity is healthy & learning is fun

I was hesitant to use this photograph. It is a "portrait" of the Viking ship -- the Leif Erikson -- used by Gerhard Folgero and a crew of three, plus his dog, to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1926 and then to progress through rivers and lakes until arriving in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 23, 1927. Folgero was emulating the 997 crossing by Leif Erikson. Folgero's vessel had been on display in Leif Erikson Park in Duluth until a few years ago. It is now undergoing repair and renovation. The exact name or the type of Leif's ship is not known, but it likely was either a dragon boat (Drakar) or a longboat (Skuders). The smaller support boat (Karvi) is unlikely. Since he was traveling on the open seas, it is possible he used a merchantmen or high seas boat (Hafskip), either a Knarr or a Byrdingr. Folgero's ship was a modified knarr. Note the ore carrier passing by in the distance in the waters of Lake Superior.

Folgero went to sea as a boy

(Editor’s Note: This is the final piece of three to introduce any who pass by this way to the Viking explorer, Leif Erikson, who around the year 997 became the first European to lead an expedition which found its way to North America and to another Norwegian, Gerhard Folgero, who captained a replica Viking ship named the Leif Erikson from Bergen in Norway to Duluth in Minnesota in 1926/1927.)

Gerhard Folgero went to sea in 1900 at age 14. At age 24 he obtained his captain's license, and seven years later commanded his first ship as a captain. By 1925, he had the money to pursue his life-long dream of proving Vikings had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached North America. He hired a boat-builder, Johan Petersen, in Korgen, Norway, to build a 42-foot wooden modified "knarr," about half the size of what Leif Erikson likely used to cross the Atlantic around the year 997 Anno Domini (A.D.).

Korgen men had a good reputation as boat-builders, and Petersen was one of the last boat-builders still using the old methods called clinker built, with the edges of hull planks over-lapping. Everyone else said they only used carvel construction, with the plank seams butted flush together.

Named the Leif Erikson and made of Norway pine, the ship was rigged with red- and white-striped sails along with one set of triangular sails. The vessel, with a carved dragon head and tail and traditional wooden shields on the side, was steered by a rudder with an attached long har (tiller). It had no motor.

Sometime after March 21, 1926, Folgero wrote these words:

"When the ship was completed, Petersen sent out word to gather horses and men to transport it overland to the sea. The ship was set upon timber supports, and people came flocking to see the strange sight as a large procession moved down the road. In the forest where the road was too narrow, trees were cut to allow passage of the boat, fences were moved and telephone lines were lifted up. When horses sank too deep into the snow, strong arms helped them up again. It all went with humor and a precision we had to admire.

"We arrived at open water in the Elsfjord at 5:00 p.m., where the boat was hauled down to the beach and set upon the water with loud hurrahs from the people. It sat very nicely in the sea, and the boatbuilder looked at it there with tear-filled eyes. I understood his feelings. Everyone sat down in the snow for a well-deserved rest and a bite to eat.

"The boat was towed to Hemnesberget where Stenersen & Sons will install boom lifts, water tanks, and provision tanks. The old sailmaker, Jens Henriksen, has nearly finished sewing the sails. The rigging and mast are ready, and just need to be set up."

Embarkation took place from Bergen on May 23, 1926. Folgero, Johan Johnsen, Kristian Andersen, Thomas Stavenes and their dog arrived in Boston Harbor in mid-August. The vessel had travelled 6,700 miles. The voyage was resumed in early March the next year by going up the Hudson River and connecting with other rivers and lakes. By the time the ship reached Duluth on June 23, 1927, the little boat had travelled about 10,000 miles.

Folgero returned to Norway and in 1930 built a bigger Viking ship, the 60-foot Roald Amundsen, which he had named after his explorer friend. With this vessel, he and a crew of three sailed the sea route taken by Columbus in 1492 from Spain to Cuba.

 

I have seen conflicting reports about when Folgero died. One said 1948 and another 1950. It is obvious I have a bit more research to do.

 

By the way, among the thousands awaiting the arrival of Folgero and the Leif Erikson in Duluth that summer day in 1927 was our friend -- the Arctic fisherman, Norwegian immigrant, college professor and novelist Ole E. Rolvaag.

 

I wonder what Rolvaag's thoughts were as he watched the Viking knarr gliding along in the icy cold, deep blue waters of Lake Superior ....

 

I wonder if he and Gerhard Folgero talked to one another and, if so, what words were spoken ....

 

I wonder / wonder / wonder .... and always will ....

 

(Concluding thoughts: Once again, there probably are more books out there about the Vikings and their lifestyles and habits and beliefs and explorations than can be read in a lifetime. These three posts sort of bounce on and off the surface, but, hopefully, you will be curious enough to try reading a few of them. Curiosity is healthy and learning is fun ....)