Norse Contributions
to the Discovery and
Making* of America
(Excerpt from address in House of
Representatives by Hon. O. J. Kvale,
el Minnesota* on Norse-American cen
tennial.)
“1 claim, witbout the slightest fear
of successful oontsadiction. that of all
the peoples that have contributed their
quota to the making of this nation, do
more law-abiding'1 men and women have
set foot on American soil than those
who during the past century embarked
for these shores-from tho rock-bound
coast of the northwest peninsula of Eu
rope.
“Permit me to remind you very
briefly of the historical facts which the
centennial will commemorate.
“On October 9, 1225, there arrived in
New York harbor, after a perilous and
romantic three J months7 voyage, a
small sloop of 40-;tonsv the Reataura
tionen, the Mayflower of the North,
with 53 Norwegian immigrants on
board.
“This was the first shipload of Norse
(people to emigrate to the new laud of
(the free across the Atlaotic. The pro
. ject was arraoged by Kieog Peerson—
Isometimes known as Cleng Pearson—
that romantic frontier figure, the Dan
kel-Boone of the Norwegians. He had
been in the United-States and had cov
ered the primeval West in his wander
1 jogs; he returned *0 Norway with his
wonderful tales of the possibilities and
.the opportunities that awaited his fel
[low countrymen in America, organized
(the expedition and assisted in the pur
(chase of the little sailing vessel. The
(sloop sailed from Stavanger Harbor,
Norway, on July 4, 1825, and reached
New York after a long and stormy
passage.
“This single event marks the begin
ning of the^stcady and swelling stream
of immigration from Norway, which.
1-jss resulted in the large Norse-Amer
|can citizenship we have today. Nor
»av has sent bo our land a- larger pro
srtioo of her-population- than tc v
jher country with the exception of
fe^and; her sons and -daughters here
total in excess ef 2,500,000; according
to careful aod conservative - estimates
of ethnologists and- historians. That,
if you please, is equal to the actual
population of Norway, which; accord
ing to the last census, was 2,649,-775
' “These were by no-means, however,
the first Norwegians that are recorded
in - American history. Pbe-Columbian
i history carries record of their vovages
• ef discovery and colonization. Aod ac
cording to Torstein Jahr, of the Li
brary of Congress, -who- has made an
exhaustive search and study-of records
and documents in the library* colonial
iisiory also reveals prominent activi
ieson their part in many fields.
‘If we were to go back to the earli
est Norwegian immigrant, it would
carry us back 500 veaus before Colum
bus landed on one of tfce-islands of this
continent. No one now denies the fact
of Leif Ericsson having: landed on
American 6oil in tho-year KK)0 A. D,»
For a long time his-discovery was con
sidered more or less-mythical, but to
day no historian worthy o! the name
disputes the fact.
The Norsemen had • founded colonies
|«in Iceland, then in Greenland. These
settlements continued; they became
permanent colonies; routes of trade
were opened up by the brave Vikings,
*vfbo kept the channels of communica
jtion aod supply open between the
mother country and these settlements
on tbe southern shores of Greenland,
tlthough the sea was dangerous, rough,
|^oggv, and their small boats were open
land were propelled by oars and a small
pail. Even though we had no direct
Evidence substantiating the contention
if Norse discovery of America, reason
|alone would force upon us the conelu
bion that the Vikings, who had safslv
reached Greenland again and again,
would surely in their explorations not
have stopped from proceeding the re
maining short distance to these shores.
And history has verified these claims.
“Norse sagas and early histories
carry reports of Viking trips to Vin
land, the name the first explorers gave
to America. They came in part to ob
tain lumber, which was not to be pro
cured in Greenland; they tell of efforts
to colonize, of the Indian natives, trade
with them, battles with them. And it
is recorded that in 1112 A. D. Eric Upsi
was appointed bishop of Iceland, Green
land and Violand by the Vatican. Vin
land was known of in Home, mark you.
Also, this bisshop embarked on a mis
sionary journey to Vinland in 1121.
“Another matter, however, which is
still the subject of some contrrversy is
the connection between the Norse dis
covery of America and the subsequent
rediscovery by Columbus.
“Adam, of Bremen, who died in 1076,
a year after he had complete*) a book
on North European Christianity, which
iucluded historical and geographic
facts regarding all the countries he
mentions, tells of Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and
then tells of Vinland, the 'new land to
the west.’ His book was authentic; it
was widely, circulated in his day and
after. Many copies of it exist today,
even though it antedates the printing
press hundreds of years. Sorely Co
lumbus, one of the learned men of hia
day, well educated and informed,
would have known of this book and its
contents.
“Furthermore, Columbus, a geo
grapher and a navigator, had sailed
many seas;, there is indisputable evi
dence, contained in letters written by
his son Ferdinand, that Columbus vis
ited Iceland in February, 1477. There
everyone was familiar with reports of
the Norse expeditions to the wonderful
land to the southwest—Vinland. He
also visited the cloister in Huelva,
Spain, in 1484v and his son again tells
of the conversation, word for word, be
tween- his father and the monks, in
which Christopher Columbus convinced
the monks of his certain knowledge of
a land to the west.
“More than this, in 1472: an expedi
tion led by the Nor3e admiral, Didrik
Pining, and piloted by J*oha Skolp, was
outfitted in Norway by King Christian
of Norway and Denmark upon the urg
ent request of King Alfouso of Port
ugal. Two Portuguese noblemen joined
this expedition as representatives of
Alfonso. The ship left the west coast
of Iceland, sailed past Greenland, and
reached the vicinity of the mouth of
the St. Lawrence river, then returned
to Norway. The two Portuguese no
Max Simel
The Pioneer Trader
Furs Bought and
Sold
Miners’, Prospectors’
and Trappers’
Supplies
Steamer Service On the Inoka
River.
Ask the People of Ophir about us.
STATION
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bletnen returned to their native land, t
the following year. 1473*
"Can anyone, in the face of these j
facts, doubt for » moment that Colum
bus was well acquainted withal?* re
ports of the>r journev? Bis dogged de
termination to keep sailing westward,
to sail and sail in the face o? the threat
ened mutiny of his crew, bears this out.
Columbus did not conjecture; he did
not hope; he knew. The a'jideo'te
which he possessed of a land So the
west wa9 supplied to him by the de
scendants of the rery people who had
themselves discovered this land of
promise and had visited it time and
again.
We do not desire to detract id the
slightest degree from the value to the
world of the voyage and the discovery
of Columbus. But in the interest of
truth it should also be stated that he
was himself indebted to the Norsemen
for his knowledge.
I
I
THE
BY-S60LLY
Tokotna
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Soft Drinks
Lunches
John Heino
Proprietor
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i
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The Kusko
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■
A Dredging o r Hydraulicing
Proposition. Yankee Creek
About 7 miles long, extending from
No. 1 below discovery down to the
mouth of the creek.
Pay located all along for a distance
of about 3 miles from upper end, and
pretty wrll prospected and cross-cut.
Average depth of ground is from 7
to 20 feet. Top is all black muck,
that can be scraped freely. No rock
bigger than one’s fist.
Ground will go from 15 cents to $1
per square foot of bedrock.
Ditch on the ground, 3 miles long,
together with water rights. Ground
is pretty well cleared. There is also
a drain, 3 miles long. Also a water
right on Ready Bullion creek, from
which water can be brought to
Yankee creek with a ditch less than
a mile long [4,900 feet], with a pres
sure or fall of 120 feet, being 1600
feet to the work from the ditch.
After doing- away with muck there
will be from 4 to 6 feet of dirt to
handle.
Only about $11,000 has been taken
out.
Prospecting work during the past
winter has resulted in finding values
that run up to $1 per square foot of
bedrock.*
1 wilt either sell the ground or give
a lease on it. If the prospect is sat
isfactory to the buyer, a cash pay
ment will be expected.
For further information, terms,
etc., call on ground, or write or tele
graph me.
ED NOLLETTE,
Tokotna, Alaska.