High Middle Ages · North America · Exploration
1001
Leif Erikson establishes Vinland camp
1001
At a grassy headland near modern L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Leif's crew raised long-houses of sod and timber to winter in. They collected butternuts from farther south, suggesting exploration well beyond the initial landing, before sailing back to Greenland with timber the next spring. The settlement, though short-lived, left archaeological traces that would not be rediscovered until 1960.