The Terra Nova River is a river in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada.
87-439: It drains an area in the centre of the island of Newfoundland , discharging into Bonavista Bay at Glovertown . The Terra Nova River passes through the northern end of Terra Nova National Park , which derives its name from the river. The river also has a healthy run of Atlantic Salmon. 48°40′18″N 54°00′05″W / 48.67167°N 54.00139°W / 48.67167; -54.00139 This article related to
174-605: A World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it is believed to be the Vinland settlement of explorer Leif Erikson . (The Icelandic Skálholt map of 1570 refers to the area as "Promontorium Winlandiæ" and correctly shows it on a 51°N parallel with Bristol , England). Before and after the departure of the Norse, the island was inhabited by indigenous populations. About 500 years later, in 1497, the Italian navigator John Cabot (Zuan/Giovanni Caboto) became
261-519: A "baby bonus" for each child in a family. The Confederates were led by the charismatic Joseph Smallwood , a former radio broadcaster, who had developed socialist political inclinations while working for a socialist newspaper in New York City. Following confederation, Smallwood led Newfoundland for decades as the elected premier . His policies as premier were closer to liberalism than socialism. The first flag to specifically represent Newfoundland
348-622: A Norse settlement found in Newfoundland, Canada , called L'Anse aux Meadows , which was occupied approximately 1,000 years ago. Leif's place of birth is unknown, although it is assumed to have been in Iceland . His father, Erik the Red , founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland , where Leif was later raised. Following his voyage to Vinland and the subsequent death of his father, Leif became chief of
435-420: A Norse site located at the northern tip of Newfoundland. It has been suggested that this site, known as L'Anse aux Meadows (carbon dating estimates 990–1050 CE and tree-ring analysis dating to the year 1021 ) could be Leifsbudir. The Ingstads demonstrated that Norsemen had reached North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus . Later archaeological evidence suggests that Vinland may have been
522-690: A colonial governor on the island. After 1713, with the Treaty of Utrecht , the French ceded control of south and north shores of the island to the British. They kept only the nearby islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon , located in the fish-rich Grand Banks off the south coast. Despite some early settlements by the English, the Crown discouraged permanent, year-round settlement of Newfoundland by migratory fishery workers. Thomas Nash
609-515: A crew of thirty-five men, and mounted an expedition towards the land Bjarni had described. His father Erik was set to join him but dropped out after he fell from his horse on his way to the ship, an incident he interpreted as a bad omen. Leif followed Bjarni's route in reverse and landed first in a rocky and desolate place he named Helluland (Flat-Rock Land; possibly Baffin Island or northern parts of Labrador). After venturing further by sea, he landed
696-605: A crowd of 100,000 people, that Leif had indeed been the first European to discover America. Additional statues of him were erected at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul in 1949, near Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota , in 1956, and in downtown Seattle . In 1924, a party of four consisting of a Swede, an Englishman, and two Americans attempted to emulate Leif's voyage in an eponymous 40-foot vessel but were lost after reaching
783-445: A forerunner to the much later British Empire. Newfoundland is considered Britain's oldest colony. Settlers developed a variety of dialects associated with settlement on the island: Newfoundland English , Newfoundland French . In the 19th century, it also had a dialect of Irish known as Newfoundland Irish . The closely related Scottish Gaelic was also spoken on the island during the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in
870-546: A letter to have visited Iceland in 1477, could have heard stories of it. While Leif had no contact with the Indigenous peoples of Vinland, later Norse explorers did, referring to them as skrælingi , an archaic term for "wretches". According to the Saga of Erik the Red , the first encounter was made during a colonizing expedition led by Thorfinn Karlsefni, which also included Leif's brother Thorvald. At first this group traded with
957-418: A river in Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Newfoundland (island) Newfoundland ( / ˈ nj uː f ən ( d ) l ə n d , - l æ n d / NEW -fən(d)-lənd, -land , locally / ˌ n uː f ən ˈ l æ n d / NEW -fən- LAND ; French: Terre-Neuve , locally [taɛ̯ʁˈnœːv] ; Mi'kmaq : Ktaqmkuk )
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#17328512998771044-567: A sister, Freydís . Tyrker , one of Erik's thralls , had been specially trusted to keep charge of Erik's children, as Leif later referred to him as his "foster father." The Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders , both thought to have been written around 1200, contain different accounts of the voyages to Vinland (usually interpreted as coastal North America). The only two known strictly historical mentions of Vinland are found in
1131-437: A total area of 111,390 square kilometres (43,008 sq mi). According to 2006 official Census Canada statistics, 57% of responding Newfoundland and Labradorians claim British or Irish ancestry, with 43.2% claiming at least one English parent, 21.5% at least one Irish parent, and 7% at least one parent of Scottish origin. Additionally, 6.1% claimed at least one parent of French ancestry. The island's total population as of
1218-588: Is Corner Brook , which is situated on the Bay of Islands on the west coast of the island. The bay was named by Captain James Cook who surveyed the coast in 1767. The island of Newfoundland has numerous provincial parks such as Barachois Pond Provincial Park , considered to be a model forest, as well as two national parks. The island has many tourism opportunities, ranging from sea kayaking, camping, fishing and hunting, to hiking. The International Appalachian Trail (IAT)
1305-523: Is a large island within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador . It is situated off the eastern coast of the North American mainland and the geographical region of Labrador . The island contains 29 percent of the province's land area, but is home to over 90% of the province's population, with about 60% of the province's population located on the small southeastern Avalon peninsula . The island
1392-562: Is a provincial Registered Heritage District, as well as a National Cultural Landscape District of Canada. This is one of only two national historic sites in Canada so recognized for their Irish heritage. Entertainment opportunities abound in the island's three cities and numerous towns, particularly during summer festivals. For nightlife, George Street , located in downtown St. John's, is closed to traffic 20 hours per day. The Mile One Stadium in St. John's
1479-623: Is being extended along the island's mountainous west coast. On the east coast, the East Coast Trail extends through the Avalon Peninsula for 220 km (140 mi), beginning near Fort Amherst in St. John's and ending in Cappahayden , with an additional 320 km (200 mi) of trail under construction. The Marble Mountain Ski Resort near Corner Brook is a major attraction in
1566-512: Is known about them beyond archeological evidence of early settlements. Evidence of successive cultures have been found. The Late Paleo-Eskimo, or Dorset culture , settled there about 4,000 years ago. They were descendants of migrations of ancient prehistoric peoples across the High Arctic thousands of years ago, after crossing from Siberia via the Bering land bridge . The Dorset died off or abandoned
1653-466: Is low, though, less than 12% in the same 2003 study. The referendum campaign of 1948 was bitterly fought, and interests in both Canada and Britain favoured and supported confederation with Canada. Jack Pickersgill , a western Canadian native and politician, worked with the confederation camp during the campaign. The Catholic Church, whose members were a minority on the island, lobbied for continued independence. Canada offered financial incentives, including
1740-539: Is mentioned about his death in the sagas—he probably died in Greenland some time between these dates. Nothing further is known about his family beyond the succession of Thorkell as chieftain. Leif is, in all likelihood, a historical figure who remains the first known European to set foot in continental North America, but other details of his life vary and are a subject of debate. It has been suggested by several scholars that both Leif's sister, Freydís, and his foster father, Tyrker, are works of fiction, as are their roles in
1827-468: Is primarily characterized by having a subarctic (Köppen Dfc) or a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Locations on the extreme southeast of the island receive sufficient maritime influence to qualify as having a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc). Leif Erikson Leif Erikson , also known as Leif the Lucky ( c. 970s – c. 1018 to 1025 ), was a Norse explorer who
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#17328512998771914-701: Is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait . It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River , creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary . Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon . With an area of 108,860 square kilometres (42,031 sq mi), Newfoundland
2001-627: Is the world's 16th-largest island , Canada's fourth-largest island , and the largest Canadian island outside the North . The provincial capital, St. John's , is located on the southeastern coast of the island; Cape Spear , just south of the capital, is the easternmost point of North America , excluding Greenland. It is common to consider all directly neighbouring islands such as New World , Twillingate , Fogo and Bell Island to be 'part of Newfoundland' (i.e., distinct from Labrador). By that classification, Newfoundland and its associated small islands have
2088-530: Is the venue for large sporting and concert events in the province. In March, the annual seal hunt (of the harp seal ) takes place. Largest municipalities (2016 population) Newfoundland is roughly triangular, with each side being approximately 500 kilometres (310 mi), and having an area of 108,860 square kilometres (42,030 sq mi). Newfoundland and its associated small islands have a total area of 111,390 square kilometres (43,010 sq mi). Newfoundland extends between latitudes 46°36'N and 51°38'N. Newfoundland
2175-436: Is the youngest province in Canada. Newfoundland was organised as a colony in 1825, was self-governing from 1855 to 1934, but after a financial crisis the legislature was suspended and it was ruled through a Commission of Government (see Dominion of Newfoundland ). On June 22 and July 3, 1948, the population of the colony voted in referendums 52.3% to 47.7% in favour of joining Canada as a province. Opposition to confederation
2262-633: Is thought to have been an image of a green fir tree on a pink background that was in use in the early 19th century. The first official flag identifying Newfoundland, flown by vessels in service of the colonial government, was the Newfoundland Blue Ensign, adopted in 1870 and used until 1904, when it was modified slightly. In 1904, the crown of the Blue Ensign was replaced with the Great Seal of Newfoundland (having been given royal approval in 1827) and
2349-401: Is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America , approximately half a millennium before Christopher Columbus . According to the sagas of Icelanders , he established a Norse settlement at Vinland , which is usually interpreted as being coastal North America. There is ongoing speculation that the settlement made by Leif and his crew corresponds to the remains of
2436-511: The Beothuk language , which is often considered to be a member of the Algonquian language family although the lack of sufficient records means that it is not possible to demonstrate such a connection confidently. The tribe is now typically considered extinct, but evidence of its culture is preserved in museums and historical and archaeological records. Shanawdithit , a woman who is often regarded as
2523-610: The Bishop of Newfoundland until a separate Bishop of Bermuda was created in 1919, though Newfoundland would become a Dominion in its own right from 1907 (the Dominion of Newfoundland ), before reverting to colonial status in 1934, and finally joining the Dominion of Canada in 1949 as the Province of Newfoundland . The European immigrants, mostly English, Scots, Irish and French, built a society in
2610-804: The Codroy Valley area, chiefly by settlers from Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia. The Gaelic names reflected the association with fishing: in Scottish Gaelic , it was called Eilean a' Trosg , literally 'Island of the Cod '. Similarly, the Irish name Talamh an Éisc means 'Land of the Fish'. The first inhabitants of Newfoundland were the Paleo-Eskimo , who have no known link to other groups in Newfoundland history. Little
2697-539: The Hebrides , where he and his crew were forced to remain for much of the summer, awaiting favorable winds. During his stay there, Leif fell in love with a noblewoman, Thorgunna, who gave birth to their son Thorgils. Thorgunna remained in the Hebrides when Leif left, as he refused to take her along without permission from her family. Thorgils was later sent to Leif in Greenland, but he did not become popular. After arriving at
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2784-779: The United States of America , the remaining continental colonies and the North Atlantic Ocean colony of Bermuda were organised and administered as British North America . All except the Newfoundland Colony and Bermuda confederated in 1867 to form the Dominion of Canada . Newfoundland and Bermuda would retain links (possibly explaining similarities between the Newfoundland English and Bermudian English ), including settlement in Newfoundland of Bermudians such as Joseph Outerbridge , especially their being grouped under
2871-464: The Wonderstrands , and one called Hóp, which was located even farther south. Leif has been described in the Vinland sagas as a wise, considerate and strong man of striking appearance. When he was of a proper age, Leif went to Norway, likely to serve as a retainer to its king, Olaf Tryggvason . It was on this journey to Norway that the Saga of Erik the Red states that Leif's ship was driven to
2958-489: The sea ice and weather of this isolated location and the native wildlife its residents relied upon for food and income . The First World War had a powerful and lasting effect on the society. From a population of about a quarter of a million, 5,482 men went overseas. Nearly 1,500 were killed and 2,300 wounded. On July 1, 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel, France, 753 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over
3045-404: The 17th century came Irish fishermen, who found so many fisheries that they named the island Talamh an Éisc , meaning 'Land of the Fish', more loosely 'the fishing grounds' in Irish. In 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as a colony of England, he found numerous English, French and Portuguese vessels at St. John's. There was no permanent European population. Gilbert
3132-566: The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the painting Leiv Eirikson Discovering America by Christian Krohg , was in the possession of a Leif Erikson Memorial Association in Chicago before being given back to the National Gallery of Norway in 1900. For the centenary of the first official immigration of Norwegians to America, President Calvin Coolidge stated at the 1925 Minnesota State Fair , to
3219-524: The 1960s and 1970s. This research estimated that the settlement dates to about the year 1000, and the site contains the earliest-known European structures in North America. In 2021, an interdisciplinary team used the Miyake event of 993-994 as a benchmark in dendrochronology (tree-ring studies) to precisely determine that Vikings were present in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland in year 1021. Designated as
3306-538: The 2006 census was 479,105. Newfoundland was long inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Dorset culture and the Beothuk , who spoke the now-extinct Beothuk language . The island was possibly visited by the Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson in the 11th century as a rest settlement when heading farther south to the land believed to be closer to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River called " Vinland ". The first confirmed visit
3393-516: The Beothuk and Mi'kmaq, though this is refuted by indigenous oral history. The Mi'kmaq, Innu and Inuit all hunted and fished around Newfoundland but no evidence indicates that they lived on the island for long periods of time and would only travel to Newfoundland temporarily. Inuit have been documented on the Great Northern Peninsula as late as the 18th-Century. Newfoundland was historically
3480-670: The British Parliament designated Newfoundland Red and Blue ensigns as official flags specifically for Newfoundland. The Red and Blue ensigns with the Great Seal of Newfoundland in the fly were used officially from 1904 until 1965, with the Red Ensign being flown as civil ensign by merchant shipping, and the Blue being flown by governmental ships (after the British tradition of having different flags for merchant/naval and government vessel identification). On September 26, 1907, King Edward VII of
3567-442: The Greenland settlement. He had two known sons: Thorgils, born in the Hebrides ; and Thorkell, who succeeded him as Greenland's chieftain. Leif was the son of Erik the Red and his wife Thjodhild ( Old Norse : Þjóðhildur), and, through his paternal line, the grandson of Thorvald Ásvaldsson . When Erik the Red was young, his father was banished from Norway for manslaughter, and the family went into exile in Iceland (which, during
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3654-456: The Markland area, and found nine natives asleep under boats. They attacked the natives, killing eight of them, while one escaped. Shortly after, in an apparent reprisal, Thorvald was killed by a native's arrow. Later, Thorfinn Karlsefni led a group to colonize Vinland and encountered natives, who they initially traded with, but relations soured when a native was killed attempting to steal weapons from
3741-467: The Mi'kmaq. The latter readily traded with Europeans and became established in settlements in Newfoundland. Newfoundland is the site of the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. An archaeological site was discovered in 1960 at L'Anse aux Meadows by Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad . This site was the subject of archaeological studies throughout
3828-635: The New World unlike the ones they had left. It was also different from those that other immigrants would build on the North American mainland. As a fish-exporting society, Newfoundland was in contact with many ports and societies around the Atlantic rim. But its geographic location and political distinctiveness isolated it from its closest neighbours, Canada and the United States. Internally, most of its population
3915-450: The Norse. In retaliation, the natives attacked and Karlsefni decided to abandon the colony. Stories of Leif's journey to North America had a profound effect on the identity and self-perception of later Nordic Americans and Nordic immigrants to the United States. The first statue of Erikson (by Anne Whitney ) was erected in Boston in 1887 at the instigation of Eben Norton Horsford , who
4002-635: The Red and Blue Ensigns retained as ensigns for shipping identification. On March 31, 1949, Newfoundland became a province of Canada but retained the Union Jack in legislature, still designating it as the "national" flag. This was later reaffirmed by the Revised Statutes Act of 1952, and the Union Jack remained the official flag of Newfoundland until 1980, when it was replaced by the current provincial flag. (See Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for continued discussion of provincial flags.) As one of
4089-772: The United Kingdom declared the Colony of Newfoundland, as an independent Dominion within the British Empire , and from that point until 1965, the Newfoundland Red Ensign was used as the civil ensign of the Dominion of Newfoundland with the Blue Ensign, again, reserved for government shipping identification. In 1931 the Newfoundland National Assembly adopted the Union Jack as the official national flag, with
4176-579: The Vinland journeys spread around medieval Europe, although to what extent is unclear; writers made mention of remote lands to the west, and notably the medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen directly mentions Vinland (c. 1075) based upon reports from the Danes . It has been suggested that the knowledge of Vinland might have been maintained in European seaports in the 15th century, and that Christopher Columbus, who claimed in
4263-403: The Vinland sagas. Leif's commission as a missionary to Greenland may also be fictional, as that aspect of his story is often attributed to Gunnlaugr Leifsson's version of Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar (which likely served as a source for some of the other sagas which mention Leif). Leif's successful expedition in Vinland encouraged other Norsemen to also make the journey , and the Norse became
4350-522: The areas around the Gulf of St. Lawrence and that the L'Anse aux Meadows site was a ship repair station and waypoint for voyages there. That does not necessarily contradict the identification of L'Anse aux Meadows as Leifsbudir since the two sagas appear to describe Vinland as a wider region which included several settlements. The Saga of Erik the Red mentions two other settlements in Vinland: one called Straumfjǫrðr , which lay beyond Kjalarnes promontory and
4437-471: The century preceding Leif's birth, had been colonized by Norsemen, mainly from Norway). Leif was also a distant relative of Naddodd , who discovered Iceland. Leif's year of birth is often estimated in the c. 970 s. Though his birthplace is not accounted for in the sagas , it is likely he was born in Iceland, where his parents met —probably somewhere on the edge of Breiðafjörður , and possibly at
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#17328512998774524-424: The coast, the area available to the Beothuk to harvest the marine resources they relied upon was diminished. By the beginning of the 19th century, few Beothuk remained. Most died due to infectious diseases carried by Europeans, to which they had no immunity , and starvation. Government attempts to engage with the Beothuk and aid them came too late. The Beothuk did not have friendly relations with foreigners, unlike
4611-462: The conversion, Leif brought a priest and clerics with him to Greenland. The winter following Leif's return from Vinland, his father died (shortly after 1000 CE), making Leif paramount chief in Greenland. Leif is last mentioned alive in 1018 in the Saga of St. Olaf . According to The Saga of the Sworn Brothers , by 1025 the chieftaincy of Eiríksfjǫrðr had passed to his son Thorkel. Nothing
4698-414: The country. During one of these explorations, Tyrker discovered that the land was full of vines and grapes. Leif therefore named the land Vinland ('Wineland'). There, he and his crew built a small settlement, which was called Leifsbudir (Leif's Booths) by later visitors from Greenland. After having wintered over in Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland in the spring with a cargo of grapes and timber. On
4785-492: The court of Norway's King Olaf Tryggvason, Leif was converted to Christianity. According to both the Saga of Erik the Red, and Olaf Tryggvason's Saga as found in Heimskringla , after Leif's conversion, the king then commissioned him to return to Greenland to convert the settlers there. During the journey, he was blown off course and discovered Vinland before finding his way to Greenland. Leif's father Erik reacted coldly to
4872-527: The day. In 1935, legislation was introduced to the United States Congress requesting federal observance of the day. Before the legislation was passed, it was amended so that the observance would only occur in 1935 (which it was, following a proclamation that year by President President Franklin D. Roosevelt ). In the subsequent decades, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to pass legislation requesting Leif Erikson Day be proclaimed annually by
4959-439: The early years of the 19th century. The French name for the island is Terre-Neuve . The name Newfoundland is one of the oldest European place names in Canada in continuous geographical and cartographical use, dating from a 1502 letter. It was stated in the following 1628 poem: A Skeltonicall continued ryme, in praise of my New-found-Land After the 1783 independence of the thirteen continental colonies that became
5046-523: The farm Haukadal , where his mother's family was based. Erik was later banished from Iceland and sailed west to a place he named Greenland . He then briefly returned to Iceland to bring his family and other colonists back with him to Greenland, establishing its first permanent settlement in 986. Leif grew up on the family estate Brattahlíð in the Eastern Settlement of Greenland. He had two brothers, whose names were Thorstein and Thorvald , and
5133-640: The first European since the Norse settlers to set foot on Newfoundland, working under commission of King Henry VII of England . His landing site is unknown but popularly believed to be Cape Bonavista , along the island's East coast. Another site claimed is Cape Bauld , at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula . A document found in the Spanish National Archives, written by a Bristol merchant, reports that Cabot's crew landed 1,800 miles or 2,900 kilometres west of Dursey Head , Ireland (latitude 51°35′N), which would put Cabot within sight of Cape Bauld. This document mentions an island that Cabot sailed past to go ashore on
5220-413: The first Europeans to colonize the area. In the end there were no permanent Norse settlements, although sporadic voyages at least to Markland for forages, timber and trade possibly lasted for centuries. The casual tone of references to these areas may suggest that their discovery was not seen as particularly significant by contemporaries, or that it was assumed to be public knowledge, or both. Knowledge of
5307-459: The first places in the New World where Europeans settled, Newfoundland also has a history of European colonization. St. John's is the oldest city in Canada and the oldest continuously settled location in English-speaking North America. The St. John's census metropolitan area includes 12 suburban communities, the largest of which are the city of Mount Pearl and the towns of Conception Bay South and Paradise . The province's third-largest city
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#17328512998775394-460: The island prior to the arrival of the Norse . After this period, the Beothuk settled in Newfoundland, migrating from Labrador on the mainland. There is no evidence that the Beothuk inhabited the island before Norse settlement. Scholars believe that the Beothuk are related closely to the Innu of Labrador. The tribe later was declared "extinct" although people of partial Beothuk descent have been documented. The name Beothuk meant 'people' in
5481-509: The last full-blood Beothuk, died in St. John's in 1829 of tuberculosis . However, Santu Toney, born around 1835 and died in 1910, was a woman of mixed Mi'kmaq and Beothuk descent, meaning some Beothuk must have lived on beyond 1829. She described her father as Beothuk and mother as Mi'kmaq, both from Newfoundland. The Beothuk may have intermingled and assimilated with Innu in Labrador and Mi'kmaq in Newfoundland. European histories also suggest potential historical competition and hostility between
5568-423: The mainland. This description fits with the Cape Bauld theory, as Belle Isle is not far offshore. After Cabot, the first European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese, Spanish, Basque, French and English migratory fishermen. In 1501, Portuguese explorers Gaspar Corte-Real and his brother Miguel Corte-Real charted part of the coast of Newfoundland in a failed attempt to find the Northwest Passage . Late in
5655-401: The natives, but weeks later the new Norse settlement at Hóp was attacked and Karlsefni decided to abandon it. The Norse retreated to their other settlement at Straumfjǫrðr, where they remained and continued to explore the general area. One morning they encountered a one-legged native, who shot an arrow that killed Thorvald. He is famously known for pulling the arrow out, and poetically reciting
5742-411: The phrase, "This is a rich country we have found; there is plenty of fat around my entrails", upon which he dies. On their return to Greenland, Karlsefni's crew captured two native boys, taking them to Greenland. According to the Saga of the Greenlanders , Leif's brother Thorvald made first contact with the natives. The encounter happened while Thorvald and his crew were exploring the coast, likely in
5829-404: The president. Proponents eventually succeeded, when, in 1964, the Congress authorized and requested the president to proclaim 9 October of each year as "Leif Erikson Day". In the years since, each president has issued an annual proclamation calling for observance of the day. The Sagas do not give the exact date of Leif's landfall in America, but state only that it was in the fall of the year. At
5916-401: The return voyage, he rescued an Icelandic castaway and his crew, earning him the nickname "Leif the Lucky". Leif never returned to Vinland, but others from Greenland and Iceland did. Most researchers and scholars agree that Vinland was a region in North America. Research done in the early 1960s by Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad , identified
6003-494: The second time in a forested place he named Markland (Forest Land; possibly near Cape Porcupine, Labrador ). After two more days at sea, he landed on an island to the north (possibly Belle Isle ), and then returned to the mainland, going past a cape on the north side (perhaps Cape Bauld ). They sailed to the west of this and landed in a verdant area with a mild climate and plentiful supplies of salmon. As winter approached, he decided to encamp there and sent out parties to explore
6090-459: The southern tip of Greenland, and encountered an unknown coast. Believing it to be somewhere other than Greenland, they did not disembark but rather continued to sail and found two additional coasts that did not correspond with their understanding of Greenland. After sailing back east, they eventually made it to their original destination, and then told of their discoveries. Roughly 15 years later, Leif approached Bjarni, purchased his ship, gathered
6177-533: The southernmost part of the Inuit's territorial range. When Europeans arrived from 1497 and later, starting with John Cabot , they established contact with the Beothuk. Estimates of the number of Beothuk on the island at this time vary, typically around 700. Later both the English and French settled the island. They were followed by the Mi'kmaq , an Algonquian -speaking indigenous people from eastern Canada and present-day Nova Scotia. As European and Mi'kmaq settlement became year-round and expanded to new areas of
6264-406: The storm that forced him off course, he had been on his way to introduce Christianity to the Greenlanders. After they had arrived at an unknown shore, the crew disembarked and explored the area. They found wild grapes, self-sown wheat, and maple trees. Afterwards, they loaded their ship with samples of these newly-found goods and sailed east to Greenland, rescuing a group of shipwrecked sailors along
6351-550: The study of the history of exploration. Several ships are named after Leif – a Viking ship replica , a commercial passenger/vehicle ferry , and a large dredger . Erikson is recalled as Leif the Lucky in the Robert Frost poem Wild Grapes. In 1929, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a bill to make 9 October "Leif Erikson Day" in the state, and in the years following, several other states adopted laws to observe
6438-569: The suggestion that he should abandon his religion, while his mother Thjóðhildr became a Christian and built a church called Thjóðhild's Church. A different version of Olaf Tryggvason's Saga , found in Flateyjarbók , makes no reference to Leif being blown off course and discovering Vinland during his return from Norway, but indicates that after arriving in Greenland, all of that country was converted, including Leif's father Erik. Some versions of Olaf Tryggvason's Saga also indicate that to help with
6525-457: The top of a trench. The next morning, only 68 men answered the roll-call. Even now, when the rest of Canada celebrates the founding of the country on July 1, many Newfoundlanders take part in solemn ceremonies of remembrance. The Second World War also had a lasting effect on Newfoundland. In particular, the United States assigned forces to the military bases at Argentia, Gander, Stephenville, Goose Bay, and St. John's. Newfoundland and Labrador
6612-462: The very earliest modern European population on the island. By 1620, the fishermen of England's West Country dominated the east coast of Newfoundland. French fishermen dominated the island's south coast and Northern Peninsula. The decline of the fisheries, the wasting of the shoreline forests, and an overstocking of liquor by local merchants influenced the Whitehall government in 1675 to decline to set up
6699-426: The way. For this act, and for converting Norse Greenland to Christianity, Leif earned the nickname "Leif the Lucky". Leif did not return to Vinland, but others from Greenland and Iceland did, including Thorfinn Karlsefni . According to this saga, Leif was not the first European to discover Vinland. Instead Bjarni Herjólfsson and his crew—on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland—were overtaken by wind and fog, missed
6786-578: The west coast of Greenland. In 1930, a statue of Leif was erected in the city center of Reykjavík, Iceland – currently situated in front of Hallgrímskirkja – as a gift from the United States to Iceland to commemorate the 1,000 year anniversary of Alþingi , the parliament of Iceland. The Leif Erikson Awards , established 2015, are awarded annually by the Exploration Museum in Húsavík , Iceland. They are awarded for achievements in exploration and in
6873-826: The winter for skiers in eastern Canada. Other major communities include the following towns: Educational institutions include the provincial university, Memorial University of Newfoundland whose main campus is situated in St. John's, along with the Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, in addition to the College of the North Atlantic based in Stephenville and other communities. Bonavista , Placentia and Ferryland are all historic locations for various early European settlement or discovery activities. Tilting Harbour on Fogo Island
6960-492: The work of Adam of Bremen c. 1075 and in the Book of Icelanders , compiled c. 1122 by Ari the Wise . According to this saga, Leif discovered Vinland after being blown off course on his way from Norway to Greenland. Before this voyage, Leif had spent time at the court of Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvesson , where he had converted to Christianity. When Leif encountered
7047-587: Was among those who believed that Vinland could have been located on the Charles River or Cape Cod ; not long after, another casting of Whitney's statue was erected in Milwaukee . A statue was also erected in Chicago in 1901, having been originally commissioned for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition to coincide with the arrival of the reconstructed Viking ship from Bergen , Norway. Another work of art made for
7134-482: Was an Irish Catholic fisherman who permanently settled in Newfoundland. He established the fishing town of Branch . He and his cousin Father Patrick Power of Callan , County Kilkenny, spread Catholicism in Newfoundland. This settlement attracted a major migration of Irish Catholic immigrants to Newfoundland in the early eighteenth century. By the late 18th century, permanent settlement increased, peaking in
7221-565: Was by the Norse who built a temporary base at L'Anse aux Meadows , a Norse settlement near the northernmost tip of Newfoundland (Cape Norman), which has been dated to be approximately 1000 years old. The site is considered the only undisputed evidence of Pre-Columbian contact between the Old and New Worlds if the Norse– Inuit contact on Greenland is not counted. The next European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese and French fishermen. The island
7308-469: Was concentrated among residents of the capital St. John's and its surrounding hinterland on the Avalon Peninsula. Newfoundland joined Canada at one minute before midnight on March 31, 1949. Union with Canada has done little to reduce Newfoundlanders' self-image as a distinctive group. In 2003, 72% of residents responding identified first as Newfoundlanders, secondarily as Canadians. Separatist sentiment
7395-502: Was lost at sea during his return voyage, and plans of settlement were postponed. In July 1596 the Scottish vessel the "William" left Aberdeen for "new fund land" (Newfoundland) and returned in 1600. On 5 July 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol , England, with 39 other colonists for Cuper's Cove . This, and other early attempts at permanent settlement failed to make a profit for the English investors, but some settlers remained, forming
7482-611: Was possibly visited by the Venetian navigator John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), working under contract to Henry VII of England on his expedition from Bristol in 1497. In 1501 Portuguese brothers Gaspar Corte-Real and Miguel Corte-Real charted part of the coast of Newfoundland in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage . On 5 August 1583, Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland as England's first overseas colony under Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I , thus officially establishing
7569-453: Was spread widely around a rugged coastline in small outport settlements. Many were distant from larger centres of population and isolated for long periods by winter ice or bad weather. These conditions had an effect on the cultures of the immigrants. They generated new ways of thinking and acting. Newfoundland and Labrador developed a wide variety of distinctive customs, beliefs, stories, songs and dialects. A unique vocabulary arose focused on
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