Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-03-28
WHO DISCOVERED
AMERICA?


Ask the schoolboy who discovered
America? and he will tell you Chris
topher Columbus. Columbus was able
to establish his discovery and to record
the conditions that he ON
ms ~eventful voyage. and it was through
nm that this country really became
known. but several hundred wears be-
fore ne reached This shore European
naNigat"rs had landed here and ex-
rlored a part of our coast.
The modern historian will tell you
that the Norsmen reached our short
close u" 900 Years before Columbus. 1t
was not Columbus who planted the
banner OF Spain for the first time AN
European had done so on this conti-
fent, but Left h Lucky was the first
white man to set foot in America.
n Norsnlen We're a hardy race.
n Left was n OF the stnrdiest
among these blue eyed giaa.s. He
and his companions travelled vcithout
mpass and charts. but they had
what served AS we'll. an INFORM yearu-
mig for the saa. II knowledge of ships
ana the sailing of them. that had
been handed to them from generation
to generation.
The boats of the Norsmen We're small.
upon which were erected clumsy sails
and they used huge oars for motive
power. They We're not more than 30
feet I'm length. Left and his men
n"o SuNHc upon our comment at
Greenland. and here they started a lit
Tie settlement. How peculiar must
nave been their impression in over
taxing mountains of snow and ice. SO
different from Columbus and his sail
ors. VINO encountered a country of most
beautiful verdure, a land of trees and
grass and flowers.
The news of his discovery reached
ms nome country, n one equally
as Venturesome. Bjarne Herjulfson.
started across the Atlantic upon a sim
liar mission of adventure But Biarne
landed considerably further south and
when he finally sailed northward in
search of Left his efforts were rewarded
with success. and when HI told the dis
coverer of Greenland of the beautiful
country he had seen to the south, Left
his ships and started In
search of 1T. All this was about 1000
A. ID.
In his travels southwark he made
several landings until he reached the
pace we now know as Halifax. Nova
scotia. From there they %journeyed
on and after some lays cached an
.slano; which some historians think is
the island We now know as Nantucket .
Ihey sailed along the coast Of this
island n to the westward and are
supposed to ave skirted some of the
present New England shore along Long
Island sound.
Deduev u This section pleased
tnem much. and al winter was ap-
p~roaching they made preparations to
pass 1T In this milder climate. On ac-
count OF the abundance of grapes they
found. much of which they turned into
VINE, they called the place Wineland.
When me spring came the spirit of
the Wandering called agar to the
!Norsnlen and they longed to see the
land OF ice. where they had been
born. So they set sail at last for
Greenland. taking with them much
VINE II many grapes and other
things. their~ spoil of the newly dis
covered country.
America may have been visited bv
white people previous to the arrival
OF the Norsmen. but there is no
record of 1T. Rut to return to the dis
coNery OF Columbus. his right of hav-
ing peen the d~iscoverer of America was
disputed by Amerigo Vespucci. who
lald TO having. been the first person
to place his foot on the mainland. and
therefore. Was the zeal ~discoyerer. He
reached the mainland. he claimed IN
the spring of 1897. His story has been
doubted.
There Is vet another to be reckoned
with as the f1rst discoverer Of the MAIN
land of North America. John cahnt
VINO With his son. Sebastian, sailed I'm,
der a commission from Henry VI NJ
England. in 1897. Owing to the meapar
facts which are obtainable. II WOMB
be difficult to place properly the credit
as TO VINO was the first person from,
Europe to put foot on the American
continent.
The "Anaslson."