I am pleased to announce that an article I recently wrote has been published in the August issue of the Norwegian American Newspaper. Entitled “A Viking ship makes its way to the New World,” my article relates the fascinating story around the construction, in 1893, of a Viking ship, identical in all respects to a real Viking ship of the ninth century, and its voyage across the Atlantic and ultimately (via the Hudson River, Erie Canal, and Great Lakes) to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Also known as the World Columbian Exposition, the World’s Fair was billed as an homage to Christopher Columbus on the 400th anniversary of his arrival in the New World.
The Norwegians, invited to submit an exhibit to the Fair, had other ideas however.
Eager to show that their forebears, as suggested in old Norse sagas, could have reached the New World centuries before Columbus, the Norwegians set out to prove to the world that a ninth century Viking ship was fully capable to making such a trans-Atlantic voyage.
It was not until 67 years later, at L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, that a permanent Viking settlement in the New World was in fact discovered, conclusively proving what the 1893 voyage of the Viking ship had set out to suggest.
You can access an online version of the article here. Simply scroll to page 18 with your cursor. I hope you enjoy reading this fascinating story!
