 Viking at the 1893 Chicago World Fair | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Viking |
| Owner | Friends of theViking Ship |
| Operator | Captain Magnus Andersen |
| Builder | Christen Christensen |
| Launched | Rødsverven shipyard at Sandefjord, Norway |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Maiden voyage | Bergen, Norway to Chicago, Illinois |
| Fate | On exhibition at Good Templar Park in Geneva, Illinois |
| Status | Viking ship replica |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 78 ft |
| Beam | 17 ft |
| Height | 6.5 ft |
| Speed | 10 knots |
Viking is aViking ship replica. It is an exactreplica of theGokstad ship recovered fromGokstadhaugen, aViking Age burial mound inSandefjord,Norway in 1880.Viking was featured at theWorld's Columbian Exposition atChicago in 1893.[1]
The ship was built at theRødsverven shipyard inSandefjord, Norway. The construction was undertaken by Norwegian shipyard and ship-ownerChristen Christensen together with Ole Wegger (1859-1936) director ofFramnæs Mekaniske Værksted. The ship was christenedViking. The ship was sailed by Captain Magnus Andersen (1857-1938) and a crew of 11 fromBergen, Norway.[2][3][4]
Viking sailed to North America, viaNewfoundland andNew York, up theHudson River, through theErie Canal and into theGreat Lakes toChicago, where theWorld's Columbian Exposition was taking place in 1893 to commemorate the discovery ofAmerica byColumbus.Carter Harrison III, Chicago's four-term mayor, boarded and took command for the last leg of the voyage, arriving atJackson Park on Wednesday, July 12, 1893 to much fanfare.[5]
After the 1893 Exposition,Viking sailed down the Mississippi toNew Orleans and wintered there. On her return to Chicago,Viking was first located beside theField Columbian Museum (now the Museum of Science and Industry) in Chicago, then placed inLincoln Park under a fenced-in, wooden shelter, where it was neglected and covered in pigeon guano for decades.[6] In 1920, the ship was restored by the Federation of Norwegian Women's Societies.[7]
In 1925, to publicize and promote theNorse-American Centennial inSt. Paul, Minnesota, a set of United States Postage Stamps were issued. The event honored the 100th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to the United States. One of the stamps featured a picture ofViking based upon a photograph taken in 1893. The engravers included the American flag waving from the bow.[8]
In 1994,Viking was moved from its location to make room for expansion of theLincoln Park Zoo. With funds raised from theScandinavian-American community, the ship was moved into a warehouse inWest Chicago, and then to Good Templar Park inGeneva, Illinois, and secured under a canopy. The head and tail ofViking were placed in storage at the ChicagoMuseum of Science and Industry. In 2007, Landmarks Illinois listed the ship as one of the 10 most endangered landmarks in Illinois.[9] In 2008, Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley was recognized byLandmarks Illinois and theRichard H. Driehaus Foundation for fund raising efforts resulting in stabilization of the ship. That same year, funds for preservation were awarded byAmerican Express in partnership with theNational Trust for Historic Preservation.[10][11][12][13]
In 2012, trusteeship ofViking was transferred from theChicago Park District to Friends of the Viking Ship, which had been established to further the preservation effort. Docent-led tours are offered on scheduled dates during the months of April through October. In 2013 and 2014, stabilization efforts and exhibit improvements were made. Additional keel supports were installed in 2014. A further step in the stabilization effort will be to clean, treat, and seal all ofViking's thousands of rivets.[13][14][15][16]
41°53′37″N88°17′32″W / 41.89361°N 88.29222°W /41.89361; -88.29222
