Viking discovery could put southwest Newfoundland on the map

The potential discovery of a second Viking site in Point Rosee, Newfoundlandmay spell big news for the tourism industry on the island'ssouthwest coast.

• Potential Viking site found in Newfoundland
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Local residents were abuzz on Friday after research from an international team of archaeologistsrevealed the possibility of a Viking site in the area.

If the results are verified through further research, then Point Roseewould be only the second verified Viking site in North America. The first site is at L'Anse Aux Meadows, near the northern-most tip of Newfoundland, about 600 kilometres away.

Roger Fowlow, a fisherman and history buff, lives three kilometres away from the site of the researchers' excavation. He said news of the potential Viking settlement hadhis mind racing.

"I never slept last night," he said. "I was up until about three in the morning thinking about it. My wife thinks I'm crazy."

As a local with a keen eye for history, Fowlow has had his ear to the ground over the years. He said he first heard rumblings ofa potential Viking connection two years ago.

"I was talking to a gentleman, he was talking to one of the archeologists that passed through his land, and they were 99 per cent certain then it was a Viking settlement," he said.

Fowlow said he's driven by thepotential Viking site a hundred times over the years.

"They had a great view. Ocean on three sides to the north, to the south, to the west, and then they could look inland."

He believes that if confirmed, the discovery will have a huge effect on the region. "It's going to put the southweston the map," he said.

Huge tourism implications

Claudelle Devoe helps operate nine cottages in the province's Codroy Valley area.

She said acamera crew from PBS and BBC's Vikings Uneartheddocumentary, along with some of thearchaeologists conducting research, stayed in the cottages last year.

"They arrived about the middle of June, and they stayed about three nights," said Devoe. "Very nice group of people."

She said the discoverycould encourage more people to come toCodroy Valley. "Right now in Codroy Valley, a lot of people just seem to go past the highway and travel on."

But the Viking discovery, said Devoe,could give tourists incentive to stay and explore the region.

"[It's] massive for our area. Great for tourism, for the economy, the whole southwest coast in Newfoundland," she said. "Itwill definitely attract more tourists to our area."

The researchers are planning a return to the area this summer in hopes of finding definitive evidence of a Norse presence.