K J E L L WAS HERE: L´ Anse Aux Meadow

Norsemen first to come to America around year 1000.

Farthest north of Newfoundland, Clapton Colbourne is born and raised. He has witnessed events that led to the clarification of the first Europeans who set foot on American soil. Leiv Erikson with crew brought his ships in the year 1000 and landed in the area northern part of Newfoundland, currently called L'Anse aux Meadows. This is in other words approx. 400 years before Christopher Colombus "discovered America"

Clapton Colbourne at the stairs at the museum and the Viking site in the background.

Clapton Colbourne is now a guide here at the L'Anse aux

Meadows National Historic Site, established in 1975. This historic site is also declared on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.

Clapton was born and grew up at Break Point - not far from this historic place.

At this time there were no roads or electricity here. Life here could at times be quite tough. The winter could be cold, lots of wind and snow that could build up to ten meters high. Only contact with the outside world was when ships arrived to deliver goods and receive fish from the fishermen here.

Fishing for, among others, cod was important for the population. Clayton started fishing when he was seven years old.

Road out here was built because of the excavation and is important today for all the tourists coming.

This hard life was changed after that day Clayton and the other 10 kids saw a ship sailing into the small fjord.

Clapton was 12 years old when Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad started the excavations in an area where he had spent childhood time. He and the other inhabitants perceived the special landscape as the tufts of Native Americans settlements. Clapton thinks that this might be the best. If the population had understood that the Vikings had stayed here, the place would be destroyed by people who wanted to dig for gold. Helge and Anne Stine started the excavations in 1961 and lasted until 1968. Clapton soon became acquainted with Anne Stine and Helge and had a good relationship with them. His mother used to bake bread for them in addition to the fact that they often spent time in Colbourne's home.

How was Helge and his wife, who was an archaeologist, perceived among the population in general and by Clapton in particular? The residents agreed with them and also contributed different things in connection with the excavation. Anne Stine spent a lot of time here and was always well received when she returned after traveling. After a journey where she was transported by boat and became wet to the skin, she was received by many of her friends and the leader of the place, called Big Chief. His wife, Mae, took Anne Stine into her kitchen and gave her the best "black tea". The next morning she found her clothes hung to dry - Mae had been up early.

We ask Clapton how he perceived Helge and Anne Stine. He lifted his

shoulders and feel a little uncomfortable with this question. After a short break, he has the answer clear: "Helge Ingstad was perceived as very ambitious. Clayton thinks this was necessary to accomplish what he did. Clapton also believes that Helge was one who demanded a lot without being rude or unfriendly. "

"Helge was a lawyer in Norway and could be rich in it," says Clayton. Instead, the travel and exploration urge was crucial for him. This was probably the reason he sold everything in Norway and put on his travels. He traveled to Canada, for example, spent 4 years in Northwest Territories. Here he spent some time with the Apaches.

Clayton continues: « He was hard - hmmmmm! He was a good person. Can not say much more about it. He was very ambitious and had a strong drive. «

This is in contrast to Anne Stine who was very friendly. "Of course she was, something many people are not aware of, was the expert on this excavation. Without her, this excavation might not have become reality. Anne Stine was an educated archeologist - which Helge was not. So right now, I give her all the credit for what she did at this place - with Helge's help of course.

She used to tell about her feelings. Among other things, she

thinks it was very cold here compared to Norway. Northern parts of Newfoundland are very inhospitable.

Outside the longhouse.

Asking what he believed was the reason Helge and Anne Stine chose this place, the answer is that the place was not really chosen. It was a result of the investigations they made on the Viking story. Helge started looking for viking tracks in America like other scientists before him because of the Icelandic sagas. He started on Rhode Island and worked systematically along the east coast. He sought out and asked the local people if they had seen something abnormal in the landscape.

Helge arrived as said L'Ance aux Meadows in the fall of 1960 and met a local fisherman called George Decker. George knew these strange structures in the landscape because he used to cut the grass here for his livestock. So when Helge asked if he had seen something strange, George could tell about and show the places to Helge.

Pit of original longhouse. This was the biggest house here and one believes this was where Leiv Erikson lived.

Furthermore, Clayton believes it was not unnatural that the Vikings chose this place. Here there is iron that can be recovered. The excavations also led to the finding of a blacksmith tools used by the Vikings. This was important in order for them to repair their ships. This, along with other findings, has led to a hypothesis that this place was for the Vikings a "base camp". Here they repaired the ships and other necessary equipment as well as provided provision and water for further exploration of America.

House of the Blacksmith.

Clayton concludes that he is proud to have presented a presentation to King Harald during their visit here in May 2002. Here the royal couple unveiled the statue of Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad. "I could not say no, I said I was willing to talk about Anne Stine and Helge. Also because they both were good friends of us. This was a great honor for me. "