Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection

On the trip, MacMillan also wanted to determine the extent of early exploration of the Vikings through the scientific study of Norse ruins in South Greenland and Labrador.

They had found the remnants of human habitation on Scuipin Island, 20 miles off Nain, Labrador. While the shape of the ruins indicated rock foundations of a dozen or so houses, the expedition was unable to prove that Vikings built the structures.

The Inuit story, passed down through generations, was that “stone igloos were built by men who came from the sea in boats. They call the place Tunitvik, which in the Inuit tongue signifies 'the place of the Norsemen.' "