Last Spike

L’Anse is a heritage viking or Norse site discovered in 1960 and is the most famous site in North America other than Greenland. The archaeological site is on the north tip of Newfoundland . L’Anse Aux Meadows dates back to around 1000 so it's the only site that is accepted at the first contact of of Pre- Columbian-trans-oceanic contact before Christopher Columbus. It is also known for its possible relationship with Leif Erikson and his attempted colony of Vinland. In 1960 the remains of the Norse village were found by Archeologist Anne Stine Ingstad and explorer Helge Ingstad. There are many theories of the land and one is believed with origins of “Vinland” meaning Wine land. This led historians for a long time to believe that the land had wild grapes. This meant the land would have existed south along the Massachusetts Coast. This was believed because the Massachusetts Coast was the furthest nothing grapes grown naturally. Anne and Helge Ingstad doubted the theory, their theory was that Vinland probably meant “ Land of Meadows.” This would have meant Norse and the settlements would not have been located on the American Atlantic Coast.

The Last Spike

The last spike was driven into the ground by the Financier, Donald Smith and completed the construction of the Railway. Although the construction of the Railway was finished, other cleanup was needed so the railway did not officially open till June of 1886. In the past many “last spikes” put into railways have been known to be silver or gold, in this case however the spike was regular iron like the rest. This was to prevent souvenir stealers. Shortly after the Last Spike was placed for the canadian Pacific Railway it was replaced by another spike. The real spike was then given as a gift to the son of the patent office president and is still to this day in the family's