Between 1974 and 1980 A.D., the replica Gokstad Viking ship Hjemkomst was built on this spot in Hawley after Robert Asp, a junior high school counselor from Moorhead, Minnesota, pursued his dream of building his own Viking long boat and sailing it to Norway. He found the old potato warehouse here in late 1973, the first load of lumber arrived in December, and the city council and city clerk leased the building to him for $10.00 a year. Local people, international visitors, and the governor of Minnesota came to watch the work, and after Asp was diagnosed with leukemia, his determination inspired others to help. In 1978, when the ship was half-finished, the Hawley Chamber of Commerce led community fund-raising efforts to complete construction and support the trip to Norway, and over the next three years some $40,000.00 was raised locally through many events and sales. After almost nine years, the ship was completed, the front wall of the warehouse was removed, and on July 17, 1980, it was brought into daylight before a large crowd, moved across the street to Central Park, and prepared for viewing. On July 27, 1980, the ship was christened Hjemkomst, meaning home-coming in Norwegian, in ceremonies featuring dignitaries, music, dancing, and Bob and Rose Asp. After ten days at the Hawley Rodeo grounds, the ship began the 222-mile trip by semi-truck to Duluth on August 5, 1980, and two days later it was launched with the Asp family aboard as a large crowd cheered. Through the rest of that summer, the ship was tested under sail and the crew trained vigorously, but Asp, weakened by a broken leg and leukemia, died on December 27, 1980. The dream continued as the crew, including three Asp sons, one daughter, two Norwegian sailors, and a captain from Norway, carried on preparations and departed Duluth under sail on May 11, 1982. The voyage crossed rough Lake Superior, continued through Lakes Huron and Erie, the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, and New York Harbor, then entered the Atlantic, where after three days the ship met a violent storm with 30-foot waves; when winds died, the crew rowed because the ship had no engines. After reaching Norway, the ship waited offshore over the weekend, then on Monday morning, July 19, 1982, it was rowed into a slip in Bergen harbor with fireboats spraying water and horns sounding, followed by an emotional ceremony honoring Bob Asp. After a short stay in Bergen, it sailed to Oslo, where the king of Norway came aboard with congratulations. The crew then flew home, the ship was returned on a merchant ship and trucked back, stopping overnight in Hawley before continuing to its final destination in Moorhead. The project brought national and international attention to Hawley, united the community in support of Asp's dream, and the ship is now housed in the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center in Moorhead, Minnesota.