John and Cathy in Newfoundland 2013: Where the Norsemen and Norsewomen Once Stood

Saturday, July 14

The journey between Rocky Harbour and St. Anthony takes about four hours, not counting stops at interesting places along the way. With a full gas tank (we have been told to make sure the gas tank is at least half-full before travelling anywhere in Newfoundland) and full stomachs after a hearty breakfast at The Ocean View Hotel, we set off at 8:30.

Because we had already visited Western Brook Pond, Green Point and the Arches the previous day, we booted along an almost deserted highway until we reached Broom Point where, we were informed, there is an interesting fishing exhibit. It shows the life in a fishing village through the experiences of the three Mudge brothers, up until the 1960s. Because of our zeal in getting an early start we arrived before the 10:00 o'clock opening. Not wishing to wait around for half an hour, we took a few pictures and went on our way.

Much more promising further along the Viking Trail, we left the highway and drove 13 km to Port au Choix where there is a National Historical Site. The visitors centre has an exhibition examining the presence of five different cultures on this barren peninsula over the past 4500 years, beginning with the Maritime Archaic Indians. If we'd had the time (and perhaps the stamina), we could have walked 4 km to visit an ancient graveyard. Port au Choix is quite a large village, at least compared to many fishing settlements. It bills itself as the largest fishing centre on the Northern Peninsula--and there is evidence to back the claim: a large fishing plant and many large, modern-looking boats in the harbour. The landscape in this area is quite bleak and treeless, so Port au Choix isn't as picturesque as places like Trinity and Harbour Grace. This community was the place where many fishing families relocated when the government began its program of centralization shortly after Confederation in 1949. Joey Smallwood earned the wrath of thousands when his government actively shut down over 300 communities. Because many outports could be reached only by water, many houses were moved by barges to larger centres like Port au Choix. Other families simply abandoned their homes and moved. The government could not afford services like schools, doctors, roads, electricity, telephone, etc for the outposts. Therefore, it launched a program to centralize services in larger centres.

As we travelled north, we noticed that some of the trees are stunted, where they exist at all. As we neared St. Anthony we noticed garden plots alongside the highway. There are no homes or other evidence of people living there--just small garden plots--fenced, of course, to keep out the moose. Also, rows of stacked lobster pots seem to be stored by the hundreds adjacent to the highway. Although the homes are neat and generally well-maintained, it is obvious that they must be heated by wood. Huge piles of neatly cut and stacked firewood can be seen in most yards and in large piles beside the highway.

L'Anse aux Meadows, our prime destination for the day, is a few km off the highway. A well laid-out National Historic Site, L'Anse aux Meadows offers conclusive proof that the first Europeans arrived in North America over 1000 years ago. Norse legends suggested that the first non-aboriginal people pre-dated John Cabot by hundreds of years. This belief was scientifically proven in 1960 when a Norwegian explorer and writer, Helge Ingstad, arrived in the L'Anse aux Meadows area. Over the next few summers extensive excavations were undertaken, proving the presence of Norsemen around A. D. 1000. In 1964, a piece of round soapstone with a hole in it was discovered. It was a spindle-whorl, used to spin wool. It is totally unconnected to any aboriginal artifacts--the Norse spun wool for clothing and sails. It provided indisputable proof that Norsemen (and Norsewomen, too as only women spun wool) lived in this region. Subsequent discoveries further confirmed this remarkable fact.

We were privileged to be part of a tour led by a man who was born in L'Anse aux Meadows and played as a child on the undiscovered sites. He participated in the excavations and is a treasure trove of fascinating information on the area. Unless one knows what to look for, all that appears are a series of slight depressions in the grassy soil surrounded by two or three foot mounds. This is where the buildings were located. Parks Canada has recreated the buildings as they likely existed further down the shoreline, but the original building have long disappeared. It is suggested that there were four different Norse expeditions to settle briefly in this area. The first group, in typical Viking fashion, seized and killed eight Indians--thus setting up a hostile environment that persisted. It is believed that permanent, long-term settlements did not happen because of fractious relations and distrust--and the Norsemen eventually left, never to return.
(Sidenote: we ran into Brittany, Paul and friend during our tour!)

In the tiny village of L'Anse aux Meadows (there must be only about a dozen houses) there is an unexpectedly good restaurant, The Norseman, where we had dinner before driving the last lap of the day into St. Anthony where we are staying at the Grenfell Heritage Hotel. We have tickets for a whale/iceberg boat tour tomorrow morning at 9:00. Apparently a 175 foot high iceberg was spotted today, plus over 30 whales. Let's hope we have similar luck tomorrow.