SAVE OUR SHIP INC

What they do

RESTORATION PROCESS DULUTHIAN BERT ENGER, of ENGER and OLSON FURNITURE COMPANY, ALONG WITH HIS PARTNER MARIE OLSON, PURCHASED THE SHIP FROM CAPTAIN FOLGERO and CREW SOON AFTER THE VOYAGE, and HE DONATED THE LEIF ERIKSON to THE CITY of DULUTH. THE SHIP WAS PLACED ON DISPLAY IN DULUTHS LAKE PARK, WHICH WAS LATER RE- NAMED LEIF ERIKSON PARK AROUND 1929. THERE THE LEIF ERIKSON STEADILY DETERIORATED AFTER YEARS of NEGLECT and VANDALISM. THE STATE of THE SHIP REACHED A LOW POINT IN 1980, PROMPTING A FORMER DULUTH CITY COUNCILOR to SUGGEST THAT THE LEIF ERIKSON BE BURNED IN THE TRADITIONAL VIKING MANNER of PUTTING A SHIP to REST. THIS SUGGESTION INSPIRED MARIE OLSONS GRANDSON, WILL BORG, to CONTACT HIS BOYHOOD FRIEND, NEILL ATKINS, WHO WAS ALSO SERVING ON THE CITY COUNCIL AT THAT TIME to HELP FORM A RESTORATION COMMITTEE. NEILL and WILL BROUGHT TOGETHER A DIVERSE COLLECTION of VOLUNTEER WORKERS to BEGIN FUNDRAISING EFFORTS to RESTORE THE SHIP to ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES