the Viking ship sailed from Norway to Chicago in 1893

	Friends of the Viking Ship

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The 1893 Viking Ship exhibit will open in the spring. Visit us at Good Templar Park, Geneva, IL, between 1:00 & 4:00 on these dates: • April 24 • May 22 • July 17 • August 14 • September 18 • October 9

The Viking is a 1/1 replica of the famous Gokstad ship, and the very first replica Viking ship. It was copied after the ancient Viking ship "Gokstad". Excavated in 1880, the "Gokstad" had been called the most beautiful ship ever built. The Viking" is approximately 78 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 6.5 feet high from the bottom of the keel to the gunwale. Clinker built with planking fastened together with iron rivets, the Viking made 11 knots and the hull was observed to flex with the waves.

Declared one of the 10 most endangered landmarks in Illinois, this important, irreplaceable piece of our nation's and region's history must be preserved.

The Viking was built in Sandefjord, Norway.

Vikingship under construction at Sandefjord

photo: Vesterheim Museum, Decorah, IA

This from The Book of the Fair
... as the approaching Columbian Exposition began to be the talk of the world, it was determined to send there her (Gokstad's) counterpart, manned by Norwegian sailors and unattended by any other craft, in order to prove the feasibility of Leif Erikson's alleged expedition, more than nine centuries ago, from Norway to the New England coast. Thus from Sandefjord the vessel, built by public subscription in the spring of 1893, set sail for New York, and in the middle of July anchored off Jackson park.
Paul V. Gavin Library Digital History Collection http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/

Captain Magnus Andersen and his crew

Captain Andersen and his crew

photo: Vesterheim Museum, Decorah, IA

280 men applied to make the historic voyage, but only eleven were chosen.

Crossing the north Atlantic was a brave experiment proving that Leif Erikson could have made the same crossing in AD1000.
Read about the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America.

The Viking ship leaving Bergen, Norway

Viking leaving Bergen, Norway photo: Vesterheim Museum, Decorah, IA

The Viking ship in the Erie Canal.

Viking in the Erie Canal photo: Vesterheim Museum, Decorah, IA

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at Good Templar Park, Geneva, IL.

Friends of the Viking Ship