The first Europeans to arrive

Once upon a time a young merchant named Bjarni Herjolfsson on his way to Greenland across the Denmark Strait was blown blindly past his destination and across the Atlantic Ocean to previously unknown lands. This was in 985 or 986. About a decade later Leif the Lucky, son of Eirik the Red, bought the ship that had survived the voyage and steered it with a crew of thirty-five back to the shores of the "New World" to explore and, if possible, to exploit Bjarni's chance discovery. This, at least, is the account given in the Grænlendinga Saga. This is one post about that event and about a 1926 / 1927 duplication of it. Maybe there will be a second post, maybe not, depending upon whether I am feeling ambitious or lazy. The post card above is the closest thing I could come up with showing the ship which made the 1926 / 1927 crossing with a crew of four men and a dog as it was in a Duluth, Minnesota, park for a number of years. The ship is now dry docked and undergoing renovation. The photograph at the end of this piece shows the captain of the replication voyage, Gerhard Folgero, standing on the prow of the vessel.

A latter-day Viking voyage to America

(Editor's Note: October 9 is Leif Erikson Day in the United States and a few other corners of the world. The day to remember and to honor Leifr Eiríksson, as his name would be written in Old Norse, is not an official holiday -- meaning no banks are closed and students still have to attend classes -- but some people and communities observe it in their own ways. The 1874 book, "America Not Discovered by Columbus," by Norwegian-American Rasmus Anderson helped popularize the idea Vikings were the first Europeans in the New World. On September 2, 1964, Congress authorized the observance of Leif Erikson Day nationwide. Each president in the years since has noted the event with a proclamation, often praising the contributions of Americans of Nordic descent and the spirit of discovery. The date was chosen because the ship Restauration coming from Stavanger, Norway, arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825, beginning a wave of immigration from Norway to America.)

Norwegian Captain Gerhard Folgero of Sannesjoen with a crew of three men -- Johan Johnsen from Molde, Kristian Andersen from Sandnessjoen and Thomas Stavenes from Bergen -- and a dog (whose name and breed I have yet to uncover) sailed in a hand-built Viking replica ship across the Atlantic Ocean from Bergen, Norway, to Duluth, Minnesota, in 1926/27.

 

The ship set out from Bergen on May 23, 1926. The voyageurs reached the southern tip of Nova Scotia two months later on July 22, where according to lore, the legendary Leif Erikson had briefly landed years ago.

When they arrived in Boston Harbor in mid-August, the vessel had travelled 6,700 miles. After wintering in New York, the crew resumed the voyage in early March the next year by going up the Hudson River and connecting with other rivers and lakes. By the time they reached Duluth, Minnesota, on June 23, 1927, the little boat had travelled about 10,000 miles.

Folgero's dream was to prove true the Norse sagas about Viking explorer Leif Erikson making the journey to America in approximately 997 Anno Domini (A.D.), almost 500 years before Columbus arrived in 1492.

 

At the time, no evidence of Viking sites had been found in North America and not until 1960 with the discovery of a Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland was it established the Old Norse had crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

After arriving in Duluth, the adventurers later sailed the craft to Chicago with Folgero and two new sailors returning to Duluth, where the ship has been since that time on display in Leif Erikson Park. It currently is in storage undergoing renovation. 

 

Here is Folgero's account of the last leg of the original journey across Lake Superior -- The Lake -- from Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan to Duluth in Minnesota:

June 17 1927

Wind from the east and clear skies to begin our journey of 505 miles across Lake Superior to Duluth, Minnesota. We met many large ships loaded with ore, and at 3:00 p.m. reached Whitefish Bay. We set a course for Isle Royale; the landscape is quite desolate, only a few houses or fish houses along the shore. Most people who live here are of Scandinavian ancestry and fish on Lake Superior. Farming isn't very good, the summers are raw and cold, and the winters are very hard.

Open sea ahead of us is very rough, with rollers just a big as those on the North Sea. Many large ships have been lost on this lake. The wind died down, but the rollers go on so we can't make coffee. The only life we see is an occasional seagull.

June 18 1927

The wind died completely in the night and we drifted and rolled. It was as cold as in Greenland, and the water is ice cold both summer and winter. Tradition has it that a man overboard is dead right away, going to the bottom and never coming up again. Later the wind picked up from the east, and we made observations and navigated just like we did on the ocean. There is no land to be seen, only smoke from steamships passing on the horizon.

We caught sight of Isle Royale, and were met by many fishermen. Everyone spoke Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish. It was the height of the herring season, and it (sic) were given some. It was freshwater herring, dry and large, not as good as ocean herring. We also got a large trout from a man from Egersund, Norway, which we cooked at once and it was delicious. The island was beautiful, with many fishermen living there, along with summer homes for Duluthians and Canadians.

June 21 1927

We sailed on and encountered a powerful storm, followed by a thick fog. It was difficult to navigate because of all the magnetism in the hills, the compass was almost useless. We arrived in Two Harbors this Tuesday night where we were met by many Norwegians who arranged a dinner for us. We prepared the boat for our arrival in Duluth.

June 23 1927

The president of the committee, Mr. Borgen, a Norwegian, came to Two Harbors, along with some other committee members, and with some Daughters of Norway, to sail with us to Duluth. The distance from Two Harbors to Duluth is only 28 miles, and wouldn't take more than eight hours if the wind was favorable.

We were told the boat was a proud sight as it sailed out of Two Harbors, decorated with flags from stem to stern. We kept near the shore all the way to Duluth, with a fresh wind from the east and the lake smooth. People waved American and Norwegian flags from shore, and many Norwegian fisherman came out and followed us a while. The coast here is similar to Norway, high hills and small bays where fish houses stood, the houses even looked Norwegian.

Five miles out of Duluth we were met by the warship "Paducha", with an orchestra on board playing the Norwegian anthem. Closer in, more boats came out to meet us, and thousands of peopled line the canal piers to welcome us. We sailed into the harbor and tied up. We had made it to our destination. It was an event for us, our country, and Duluth.

People were everywhere, even on rooftops. A choir sang "When the Fjords Turn Blue", a song dear to every Norwegian. We took our places under the Sons of Norway banner and the Norwegian anthem was played, then we went in parade to the courthouse where the American national anthem was played. Mayor Snively and Congressman William Chars gave speeches. Chars said, "Nobody will say today that the history of the Vikings is not true. There is no doubt that Vikings were in America long before Columbus was born."

(Concluding Note: Now, it is safe to say that barring the unforeseen there will be what I consider to be a footnote piece to this post, something more about Gerhard Folgero, and another post about Leif the Lucky and Norse explorations along the east coast of North America. Until then .... later, baby ....)