In 1960 the discovery and excavations in L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland started due to the meeting between Helge Ingstad of Norway and George Decker of L’Anse aux Meadows. Together they discovered the only authenticated Viking site in North America. Years of excavations and research followed. Today, 50 years later, it is time to celebrate this important historical discovery.
The 50 year anniversary will be celebrated on July 21, 2010. The day will be filled with spectacular events such as a community breakfast, celebration at the Archaeological site, staff site reunion and last but not least a beach fire. To watch the whole program please visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/ne/cele.aspx.
L’Anse aux Meadows, a National Historic site of Canada, must be a paradise for Archeologists and researchers due to the many traces of history that has been discovered here. Excavations have proved that many different peoples inhabited the area. The Native peoples were the first to arrive around 6000 B.P followed by the Norse who came around 1000 A.D. Then French migratory fishermen visited the area in 1500 until late 1800’s (and possibly Basque whalers as well.)
William Decker founded the present day community of L’Anse aux Meadows around 1835. In 1960 the Norwegian Helge Ingstad visited the community. Ingstad met with the local resident George Decker who showed him some overgrown ridges which lead to the discovery of ancient artifacts. Anne Stine Ingstad started excavations in the area the following year (1961) and continued to do so until 1968 when Parks Canada undertook the work. L’Anse aux Meadows became a National Historical Site in 1977 and then a UNESCO World Heritage Site on September 8, 1978. The Visitor Centre opened in 1984.
Today, L’Anse aux Meadows is a great place to learn more about the Viking Age. The Norse, a collective name for the Scandinavian Vikings, were the first Europeans to set foot in North America. They came to L’Anse aux Meadows by ship from Greenland not to raid and plunder, but to gather resource material, to hunt, and to explore the area. With them they brought a lot of equipment, some of which is displayed at the reconstructed Viking encampment. This compound is the camp of Bjorn, a Norse merchant-adventurer, his family and crew. During the summer months there are various demonstrations at this compound which all display how life must have been like during the Viking Age.
Read more:
Parks Canada “L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada
1960-2010: Celebrating 50 Years of Discovery
Viking Encampment