Vikings in Canada?

Do we have proof that Vikings settled in Canada? I would say we have much more than that! The L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site has structure remains built by Vikings themselves almost 1000 years ago. Canada was visited by Vikings coming from Greenland and you can see what they left behind. This surreal archaeological site is like nothing else in Canada!

Newfoundland is the easternmost province of Canada, which means that it is typically the first step for all international visitors. That means that when the Viking ships arrived, for the time being, they did not hesitate to make this land their home.

L’Anse aux Meadows is the New World’s first and only known Viking village. In the 1960s, an archaeologist excavated remains complete with timber-framed turf buildings of an 11th century village. It was not until centuries later, in the 1960s, that concrete evidence of their passage was discovered, confirming the stories told. A Norwegian explorer and his wife, uncover the Scandinavian encampment at L’Anse aux Meadows, and determine that the Vikings lived here.

Canada is world-renowned for its amazing national parks and historic sites, and this one is no exception. This place is worth a ride to the northernmost tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. The region today consists mostly of plain, grassy land, but forests were convenient for boat-building, house-building and iron extraction; 1000 years ago.

Eight house ruins were found. The buildings were known as homes on the basis of associated objects. The largest dwelling consisted of many rooms and measured 94 ft x 51 ft.

There is evidence to indicate that an array of animals that populated the region were hunted by the Norse. Caribou, lynx, wolf, fox, bear, all forms of birds and fish, seal, whale, and walrus were all included.

You can go back a thousand years now, but with a 21st-century viewpoint. New changes to this historic open spit at the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland help bring to life the tales and hardships of these early settlers. The main building, first excavated in the ’60s, has been redone, with a new sod roof and wooden interior restored, along with new exhibits and a video detailing the history of the settlement.

The site became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1968 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. 

To help you locate it: Go to the end of The Viking Trail (Route 430), on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland, 72 kilometres from St. Anthony Airport, 313 kilometres north of Gros Morne National Park, and 435 kilometres from Route 1 at Deer Lake; you’ll find L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.

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For more information regarding things to do in Newfoundland, click here.

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