COLUMBUS ANNIVERSARY NEARS

Students of American history have enjoyed reading and learning about Christopher Columbus. History books have given him major credit for discovering the New World that became America, and for proving that the world was round not flat.

Today many nations are claiming that long before Columbus made the westward voyage and landed on a Caribbean island, navigators from their countries discovered the continent that lay between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

Over the years, extensive research has been done in the field of "Who Discovered America?" China claims that 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, Chinese fishermen braved the Pacific in small boats and came to the western shore of America.

The September issue of The Smithsonian has an excellent article about the various navigators who should be recognized, according to the countries they represented.

Columbus is listed as the last of eight navigators with his voyage in 1492.

For many years Leif Ericsson and his Norse comrades have been recognized as having visited the shores of North America around the year A.D. 1000. The last week of September, a fleet of Norwegian ocean-going craft patterned after those of Ericsson's day arrived in the New York harbor. A huge assembly of Norwegians were at the dock to greet the arrival of the boats, because in their minds Ericsson is entitled to be recognized as well as Columbus in the discovery of America. The difference in Ericsson's claim may be attributed to the fact he received no publicity at the time while Columbus' voyage was known by many nations. In fact after Columbus returned to Spain on Jan. 3, 1493, most of the major European nations prepared expeditions to sail to the New World in search of wealth. The failure to find large deposits of gold was a disappointment to all of the explorers.

This Saturday, Oct. 12, not only the United States but other countries will observe Columbus' anniversary. The fact that the world is round, not flat is difficult for many individuals, even today, to comprehend, in spite of the fact that they see the sun and the moon rise in the east, and set in the west, and the oceans retain water and do not run dry.

Europeans were so excited when they heard about Columbus' discovery of a New World, many individuals were anxious to brave a dnagerous ocean voyage to reach the land of "Milk and Honey" that English writer Thomas More wrote about in his story describing the streets of gold, (just make believe) in a land he called "Utopia." He wrote the story in 1516, just short of twenty-five years after Columbus' voyage, but the word `Utopia' has become a regular word in the English language, and used today to describe perfection. Thomas Moore's dates were 1478-1535.

Columbus made four journeys to the new found continent. The first one began Aug. 3, 1492, and landing was Oct. 12, 1492. On the Gregorian calendar the date is Oct. 21. He returned to Spain to report to his benefactors, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Jan. 4, 1493. Although Columbus was an Italian navigator, he sailed on the discovery voyage under the flag and financial support of Spain. He discovered the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti, not the North American continent, on the first westward voyage.

The second voyage started from Cadiz, Spain, Sept. 25, 1493 and he discovered the Antilles and Jamaica, and further explored Cuba and Haiti. When he revised Haiti, he found the fort, which he had erected on the first trip from timbers from the wrecked "Santa Maria," was in ruins but that a small settlement had begun near the fort. He named it "Isabella" in honor of the queen.

The third voyage began May 30, 1498 and he discovered Trinidad and the Lesser Antilles and the northern coast of South America where the country Columbia is named for him. He was arrested on this voyage but was released. He turned to Spain. Five years passed before he started on the fourth and last voyage, May 11, 1502. He discovered Honduras and sailed into the Gulf of Darjen. But he found no gold and when he returned to Spain, he was disheartened and died in poverty May 20, 1506.

Although neither Cape Girardeau nor Jackson have a school or monument to this brave Italian who opened an era of discovery in the later part of the 15th century, the Knits of Columbus in both cities support ideals and projects that do justice to his name; The Cape K of C Council No. 111 was organized April 29, 1906 with 52 members. They purchased the old Klostermann home at 318 S. Spanish in 1935 and erected the present K of C Hall in 1936, using some of the fine woodwork from the old Victorian home in their new building. The parent organization was founded March 29, 1882 in New Haven, Conn. The Jackson Knights of Columbus Council No. 6405 was organized Oct. 15, 1972, and erected a new building on Highway 61 North in 1984, which was ready for occupancy in January 1985.