Long before Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of North America, the continent had already hosted European visitors. At the end of the 10th century, Vikings, or Norsemen, set out to explore the Atlantic Ocean. This exploration led them to colonize Greenland and occupy a small Norse settlement in Newfoundland. The settlement was excavated in the 1960s, and it was named L’Anse aux Meadows, French for Meadow’s Cove.

In the year 982, Erik the Red was forced to leave his homeland of Iceland. During his three-year banishment, he settled on the southwest coast of Greenland. He named the area Greenland to interest others in following him and entice settlement. Eventually, there were three settlements during the Norse colonization of Greenland, with a population ranging from 2000-3000. They would trade goods such as fur, rope, sheep, whale blubber, and even polar bears with the people of Iceland. Greenland was mostly politically independent from the main Norse settlements and prospered for a period of 500 years. In the 14th century, however, the settlements began to decline, and the last marriage was recorded in 1408.

Archaeologists questioned for many years if the Norse had visited North America. There were Norse texts that described a location named Vinland, or Wineland, but these descriptions were mixed in with descriptions of fictional locations from Norse legends. There were also Norse accounts of Inuit captives and kayaks being taken back to Scandinavia. What archaeologists lacked was physical proof that Vikings had actually gone to North America. It was not until the 1960s that these theories were confirmed with the uncovering of L’Anse aux Meadows.

Anthropologists suggest that L’Anse aux Meadows was never meant to be a permanent settlement. Instead, it is thought that the Newfoundland settlement was temporary and dedicated to boat repair. There were eight buildings in the settlement: three halls, four huts, and a final hut dedicated to smelting. The capacity of these buildings suggests that up to 160 people could have lived at L’Anse aux Meadows. Originally, anthropologists thought that the area was occupied on and off for 20 years. According to a 2019 study, however, there could have been Norse activity in L’Anse aux Meadows for up to a century.

There were many common everyday items that were also left at the site. For example, there were knitting needles, spindles, and a bronze fastening pin. These items were important to the history of the Norse in North America, as it implies that women also resided at the settlement. Additionally, there were food remains found at the site that indicate the Vikings travelled south to obtain butternuts (also known as white walnuts), which do not grow in L’Anse aux Meadows.

This settlement, in present-day Newfoundland, was the only confirmed Viking habitation in North America outside of Greenland. Historians originally believed that the Norse word Vinland meant a land of grapes or vines, as it was often substituted with Wineland. What they now believe is that Vinland means Land of Meadows, a name given to the rolling hills and grassland that the Vikings called home long before other European settlers.