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Beginning in the late 1970s, the idea became popular that L’Anse aux Meadows was a permanent colony that functioned as a transit point for Norse explorers heading farther south into Vinland. The fact that the Gulf of St. Lawrence is the northernmost point where grapes can grow in the wild led scholars to look for Vinland somewhere in that region. <ref> Haywood, p. 98</ref> The Norwegian historian Gustav Storm first forwarded the idea in 1887 that Vinland was located in the modern Canadian province of Nova Scotia, based on the flora and fauna of the region. <ref> Larsson, p. 306</ref> Storm’s assessment was refuted on the grounds that there are no wild grape vines found in Nova Scotia today, but early modern French explorers mentioned them in their observations and it should be noted that the area was warmer in 1000 AD. In terms of the other plants, animals, and people that the sagas mentioned as native to Vinland, Larsson believes the wild wheat mentioned was probably wild rye, which is found throughout Nova Scotia. Salmon is also abundant in Nova Scotia and can be found as far south as Cape Cod. Finally, the Amerindians mentioned in the sagas who used “skin boats” to travel were probably the Micmac Indians of Nova Scotia, who were known to occasionally make their canoes from moose skins. <ref> Larsson, pgs. 313-17</ref> The theory that Vinland was farther to the south than Nova Scotia is less appealing, but should be considered.
In 1748, while on a tour of North America, Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm noted what he believed were the remains of mining operations along the Delaware and New Jersey coasts. He argued that since the pre-Columbian Amerindians had no metal working, that what he saw must have been left by the Viking explorers/colonizers of Vinland. <ref> Kaups Matti, Douglas R. McManis, Brian Birch, and John C. Hudson. “Some Observations on Vinland.” <i>Annals of the Association of American Geographers</i> 60 (19921970) p. 604</ref> Unfortunately, Kalm’s observations cannot be corroborated by any extant archaeological evidence. The only evidence of a Viking presence south of L’Anse aux Meadows is a coin of King Olaf Kyree of Norway (ruled 1066-1080), which was discovered in Maine. The coin, though, could have ended up in that location in a number of ways and should not be considered as undeniable evidence of a Norse presence in that region. <ref> Rosedahl, p.275</ref>
===The End of the Viking Experiment in North America===
