Genealogy Jottings

After a month of travel along the path of my Viking ancestors, I have returned home at last.

The highlight of our trip was a visit to L’anse aux Meadows, an archeological site in Newfoundland, Canada. We have long wanted to see this Norse settlement.

The Vikings began visiting there about a thousand years ago. It does not seem to have been a permanent community, and they stayed less than a century. They may have used it as a fishing village, or a place to repair boats. There is evidence of a blacksmith shop with a nearby iron-rich stream.

The husband-wife team of Helga Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad led the archeological excavations from 1960-1968. Their work revealed about 8 buildings, including a smelting hut and a carpentry workshop, that could have accommodated about 100 people. The structures were built with sod and had grass roofs.

The archeological dig also revealed remains of plants found only further south. The Vikings must have explored that direction from the base at L’anse aux Meadows.

The area once had trees, but now it is an open, grassy place. Game would have been plentiful in the summer months but scarce in winter. We do not know if the village was occupied year around.

Today, L’anse aux Meadows is a national historic site of Canada and a World Heritage Site. The excavations have been reburied, and are visibile as grassy mounds. Reconstructed buildings have been built nearby and are open for tourists to visit. There is also an interpretive center.