VIKINGS DID GET AROUND

By Bob Walsh

 

There is now pretty solid scientific evidence to support the theory that Vikings from Greenland made regular trips to North America beginning in about 950 A.D.  This is based on lumber used in ships and very old buildings in Greenland.  Apparently it can be proven that this lumber was not native to either Greenland or Europe but instead had come from North America, probably Nova Scotia or the east coast of what became America.  

These regular trips were to harvest both lumber and seedling trees to transplant to ensure a continued supply of desirable lumber.  These included hemlock and jack pine.  While it was certainly possible that small amounts of this lumber merely drifted to Greenland it is exceedingly unlikely that this happened in the quantity needed.  The lumber had to come from North America.  Therefore the Vikings made regular trips there to get it.  

The analysis by researchers from the University of Iceland determined that about 25% of the lumber used in major construction projects in Greenland around 1000 A.D. was either imported purposefully or arrived as driftwood.  

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since the left-wingers want to abolish Columbus Day, we could have a Viking Day instead. But not so fast. The Vikings were a murderous pack of plunderers.