Ok, In a few moments I'll go fish out something I wrote on this topic for elsewhere.

What I couldn't fit in was the best tour I had at the Parks Canada run site at L'anse aux Meadows. This was conducted by the daughter of George Decker, who now works at the site. She sure sounded like this site is her life, what really turns her crank. George Decker was the local resident who showed Helge Ingestad the site.

It was fascinating hearing about the stuff they have to do to keep the replica structures 'maintained'. Like, have you ever thought that sods decay. & just like anything else that rots, it loses volume. When we were hanging out in one of the larger houses, the orignal sod sections, which had been mayb 12 feet up there, were under 4', then the next layer, etc. about 6 in all. & evenually they had to cheat re. keeping the thatch roofs in repair and leak proof. They just don't have time in our Newfoundland season, especially up the Northern Peninsula, to redo the thatch in time to open in late May. So there is a hidden layer of plastic to keep us all dry on wet days.

The living history village at Norstead is run by the local tourist association. Photo Site for Northern Peninsula places

The third group is pics from L'anse aux Meadows
The fourth groups from Nortead Living History Museum.

Next post ties the links more to what was said in canadian 1971's post.

Written by me by request to put some fact and comparison to the birthdays we celebrate this weekend both north and south of the border.

There are some who would argue even older contacts occured, but there is nothing definitive as of yet.
http://www.palden.co.uk/hhn/essays/hhn-25.html

Recently there has been even more controversy raised over the identity of the first peoples in North America and how long they've been here.

http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/a ... 60901.html

It really makes one think about the resourcefulness of all our ancestors and what they were able to accomplish with the limited technologies available to them. And before anyone has a hissy fit about land claims the European peoples that may have settled in NA 17 000 years have about as much relationship to modern Indo Europeans (who migrated into Europe about 4, 500 - 6, 000 ago from Western Asia) as the Cree have to the Chinese of today. Please read the articles first, before self-righteous indignation is spewed forth about undermining the First People's claims, because that is not my intent. I'm just saying that the New World wasn't as new as we first thought.

You are right – archaeological evidence suggests European migratory patterns were much earlier than most had originally thought.

I originally posted this on another thread here but it’s relevant here as well:

Archaeological evidence (Monte Verde, ca. 12,000-14,000 BP) does break the “Clovis Barrier.” Most modern archaeological evidence suggests that 35,000 BP is a “possibility” but not yet verified although Pendejo Cave does seem to suggest that academia must develop a new paradigm/approach to the problem of New World early migration.

Some more archaeological data:

1. Old Crow Basin (29,100 – 25,750) – evidence of tool construction

2. Blue Fish Caves (13-10,000 BCE) although it should be noted that earlier finds indicate settlement patterns at Meadowcroft (?14,000)

3. First Paleo-Indian Culture: Clovis (named after distinctive projectile points) – appeared in North American (Canada) ca. 9200 BCE


While Monte Verde does suggest coastal migration other sites offer even more intriguing migration routes like the Boqueirao of Pedra Furada rock shelter, where Guidon’s excavations have suggested (although not yet adopted into standard model) occupation as early as 45,000 BCE (it should be noted, however, that serious questions have arisen to challenge Guidon’s supposition)

More archaeological discoveries will likely paint a clearer picture of when these continents were populated and by what people.

Ok, betwixt and between the Vikings and Chris C we have definitely proven the Basques presence off the North American continent.

Basques Whaling Site at Red Bay Labrador Please note that site is setup and credited to Memorial University.

Here's another betwixt and between story, which I for one accept with a bit of salt. Prince Henry Sinclair of the Orkneys by heirs For all that heirs should have some authority, this chap really does laddle it on. He has the Glooscap legend, the Holy Grail legend and the Oak Island pit mystery all attributed to his ancestor. This is a bit like tracing your ancestors to make you a descendent of Cleopatra. A large amount of salt on that. Glooscap legend is most plausible to me.

Another sight from those of Scots heritage This sight mentions Frederick Pohl, whose book I have read.

Note no university has accepted the stories and evidence to date.

Still, IIRC Pohl refers to mentions of sailing west in a variety of cultures mostly before that era of book burning/burying and retrenchment, lack of hygene, etc - the Dark Ages.

No doubt some of the 'evidence' has merit. I hope I'm around for further revelations.

A good case in point, are the First nations on the West Coast. I have been to a fair number of the islands in Polynesia and New Zealand as well. The similarity between the cultures of these people and that of the Haida and Salish, for example, can't be explained away as mere coincidence. Art forms, canoes, long houses all point to a common culture. This further supports the idea that there were several waves of colonization from different regions.

Mustang1, we were each composing at the same time.

I rather need some links to your references. My knowledge of geography could stand improvement. I can't pin point where these places are.


Plus, if any of us want to read more, check out the reputation of the investigators, etc........ links help

Though not directly realted to this discussion, there is the case of Zheng He and his great fleet. Up until a few years ago very few people had even heard of him, and the first Western academics to write about it were scoffed at as charlatans. How the world's history would have been different if the Chinese hadn't of become isolationists and burned their great fleets.

Mustang1, we were each composing at the same time.

I rather need some links to your references. My knowledge of geography could stand improvement. I can't pin point where these places are.


Plus, if any of us want to read more, check out the reputation of the investigators, etc........ links help

Thanks Mustang1.

I'm a booky too.

I'll come back to them. As indicated above, I check sources of web sites.

Map quest is a decent source for searching geography coming up with the basics, but just go have a little gander at this image. Map Quest Atlas, Canada Look at the clickable labelling carefully, especially the east coast.

& what do you think of the census source of Ontario here ?

I've sent an e-mail or two 'whining'.