Dodd's Norse Armor "Important" IF Found in Northern Ontario

From Nipigon Historical Museum Archives
The Fenwick "Papers"

The News-Chronicle January 29, 1938 page 5
The Lakehead Cities: Port Arthur, Fort William, Westfort - Scheiber - Nipigon

By Canadian Press
TORONTO, Jan. 29 -

Dr. C.T. Currelly, Director of the Royal Ontario Museum, said yesterday Norse armor in the Museum's possession could be considered "Important" if it was proven the pieces were found in Northwestern Ontario.

Norse scholars agreed the weapons were genuine Vikings and if it were established they were found in Ontario, as claimed by J.F. Dodd of Port Arthur, history books would have to be altered to the effect Vikings came to Canada before Columbus discovered America, the director said.

Mr. Dodd said he found the relics at Beardmore, as far back as 1931. The claim was disputed at Winnipeg by Edward Ragotte who said he found one of the pieces while cleaning the basement of Dodd's Port Arthur home in 1928.

Dr. Currelly issued the following statement on the matter: " About a year ago Mr. Dodd brought to the Museum the Norse articles under discussion. I saw at once that they were a set and of the same period."
"In my 30-odd years of hunting, this was the first set I had ever been offered for sale, and I paid a price for them that I would be willing to pay had Mr. Dodd told me he had bought them on King Street in Toronto, in London or in Norway."
"Every Museum man knows one thing, and that is that the story costs nothing, but the chance of getting a Viking set had never come before."
"Now the question of their finding was most important and that is why the Museum for a year said nothing about it, has not exhibited it and has been doing its level best to find out really what were the facts."
"Photographs were sent to certain distinguished Norse scholars in the northern museums of Europe, and the agreement is complete that they were of the one period and dated from 950 to 1000 A.D."