Ancient Viking artifacts from Minnesota

[SweepNbeep]

When I was a kid our Cub Scout troop went to visit the Runestone museum in Alexandria, MN. I remember being fascinated by it, and I still am. While highly controversial, and considered by many to be a hoax, the fact remains that not only did they discover this stone in West Central MN, but there have been numerous Viking artifacts recovered from the area, and in Wisconsin, and other places. I've seen these pieces several times, and they still strike awe in me. I took my kids there awhile back. I shot these photos a couple years ago when I was there. Sorry for the poor quality, they were taken with a phone, in a case, through glass, but you get the point. It's easy to dismiss these finds as bogus, but when you see them with your own eyes, it's hard not to believe. Were the Vikings into Minnesota before Columbus was born? How the heck should I know? But I'd like to think so, and the evidence has to at least be considered. Judge for yourself. Living not far from where these were found, it is my ultimate dream to find a relic like this. For more information, just google Kensington Runestone.

 

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[old digger]

Thanks for sharing that. Makes one want to search the area with a detector for more possible finds.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I personally don't believe it is a hoax. I knew about the runestone but never saw any of those artifacts. The design of those tools screams Norse. There's probably more of those convincing artifacts still in the ground around there. Hope you score one. Gary

 

[SweepNbeep]

Damn Vikings have been here since 1362, and still haven’t won a Super Bowl.

 

[SweepNbeep]

Thanks for sharing that. Makes one want to search the area with a detector for more possible finds.

That’s part of why I don’t always get much detecting done in a day. I can’t help but dig iron signals. It’s usually a waste of time, but once in awhile it’s something cool like an axe or a horseshoe. I have axes from three states, and the coolest is a big double edged blade from MN. Not Norse, but just as well could have been 1 in a million chance that it was. Problem is these artifacts from the 1360’s are typically found by accident, and three feet down. I’d either need to get super lucky, or get a different detector. Don’t the the ol’ AT Pro goes that deep.

 

[SweepNbeep]

That’s part of why I don’t always get much detecting done in a day. I can’t help but dig iron signals. It’s usually a waste of time, but once in awhile it’s something cool like an axe or a horseshoe. I have axes from three states, and the coolest is a big double edged blade from MN. Not Norse, but just as well could have been 1 in a million chance that it was. Problem is these artifacts from the 1360’s are typically found by accident, and three feet down. I’d either need to get super lucky, or get a different detector. Don’t the the ol’ AT Pro goes that deep.

Also found a few Native American trade points that way. I almost curse those things, because now I’m a slave to digging iron. But I actually love them.

 

[GoDeep]

I'm from Minnesota and my ancestors directly immigrated from Norway. Finding artifacts from Norway or Scandinavia in Minnesota is neither uncommon, nor an indicator or pre-settlement presence. Scandanavian settlers of Minnesota brought the tools of their trade with them from their homeland.

The Rune Stone on the other hand. Hoax or not, it was a hoax from well over a 100 years ago, making it cool none the less. Kind of like finding old forged coins, still some historical significance to them.

 

[Fat]

If fake the fakers went to a lot of work. A bucket lister for me is to sail in a Viking style ship.
I’ve gone baserk a couple times the Twinks won, it makes up for the purples

 

[SweepNbeep]

I'm from Minnesota and my ancestors directly immigrated from Norway. Finding artifacts from Norway in Minnesota is neither uncommon, nor an indicator or pre-settlement presence. Norwegian settlers of Minnesota brought the tools of their trade with them from Norway.

The Rune Stone on the other hand. Hoax or not, it was a hoax from well over a 100 years ago, making it cool none the less. Kind of like finding old forged coins, still some historical significance to them.

Valid points, and I don't dispute them. But a guy would think that if these were brought from Norway by settlers, they would have been cherished family heirlooms, and not been used to clear land. If these are as old as they claim, a Norwegian settler in 1850 still would have been swinging a 500 year old axe. Kinda hard for me to believe, and I doubt they would have been found up to three feet deep, unless of course the whole thing is a hoax. Who knows? What a marvelous mystery.

 

[SweepNbeep]

If fake the fakers went to a lot of work.

And by all accounts, the guy who discovered it was ridiculed his entire life, and his family harassed to no end. Who would want to go through that, and for what? He claimed till the day he died the stone was real. I read a book on it once, forgot more than I remember, but that's more or less what happened.

 

[SweepNbeep]

Another thing that just crossed my mind is this. I grew up in the part of Minnesota that was settled almost exclusively by German settlers. I find their stuff all the time. It's about as old as you'd expect, a lot of it mid to late 1800's. But I have never heard of anyone discovering 700 year old German artifacts anywhere in the state. Wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that if the Norwegian settlers brought along 500 year old tools, and dropped them around, so would have the Germans and every other group of people? It just doesn't add up to me. But I will admit to being biased, in that I want to believe it's true, because it would just be so fascinating if it were.

 

[GoDeep]

Another thing that just crossed my mind is this. I grew up in the part of Minnesota that was settled almost exclusively by German settlers. I find their stuff all the time. It's about as old as you'd expect, a lot of it mid to late 1800's. But I have never heard of anyone discovering 700 year old German artifacts anywhere in the state. Wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that if the Norwegian settlers brought along 500 year old tools, and dropped them around, so would have the Germans and every other group of people? It just doesn't add up to me. But I will admit to being biased, in that I want to believe it's true, because it would just be so fascinating if it were.

I have tools that are a couple hundred years old, just passed on from generation to generation. Back in the 1850's, having tools were rarer and more cherished and having one a couple hundred years old would have dated to the 1650's. They weren't just a trip down to Ace Hardware to replace. Also, many of those tools pictured aren't 700 years old. Also, one can't assume that all those tools found were necessarily drops or found in the field, some no doubt were salvaged or some were lost or others donated and it's difficult to verify their origin and method of acquisition (such as, found here in America, made by Scandinavians here in America, or transported from Scandinavia).

A good example here in south east Minnesota: there were several mills and homesteads that washed away in the 1850's and 1860's, thus depositing family heirlooms and tools that later can or will be found (i'm still searching for some of them).

 

[GoDeep]

Also of interest from an evidence standpoint, notice how most of these "finds" were found over a 100 years ago? They aren't from the metal detecting age. It was known that during that time, that there was rivalry between Sweden and Norway (that once was one country ) for who had discovered America, and it is thought this stone was forged to promote a narrative.

Also, I assume the artifacts shown are from the same private Museum that has a vested interest in promoting the Rune Stone as "real".

 

[dts52]

That’s part of why I don’t always get much detecting done in a day. I can’t help but dig iron signals. It’s usually a waste of time, but once in awhile it’s something cool like an axe or a horseshoe. I have axes from three states, and the coolest is a big double edged blade from MN. Not Norse, but just as well could have been 1 in a million chance that it was. Problem is these artifacts from the 1360’s are typically found by accident, and three feet down. I’d either need to get super lucky, or get a different detector. Don’t the the ol’ AT Pro goes that deep.

I have the same curse... can’t ignore those iron signals which, 99% of the time, are square nails, barbed wire and the like. Even though the machine tells me that it’s iron, I can’t help thinking “But what if it’s something really cool?” and then waste my time digging junk, not to mention having finds pouches loaded down with it.

I hope you score a Viking hoard like they do in the UK.
dts

 

[Madmox]

The biggest problem with the runestones is that the runes used and the syntax and vernacular and language for the alleged time is all wrong. *according to the “experts” for what that’s worth

 

[SweepNbeep]

Also, I assume the artifacts shown are from the same private Museum that has a vested interest in promoting the Rune Stone as "real".

Yes, they are all from the same museum. I believe it's owned by the Alexandria chamber of commerce if I'm not mistaken, and it's quite small. The museum itself probably struggles to break even, but the narriative is kind of important to the businesses there. Half the things in Alexandria are named Viking something or another. Bellanca used to manufacture airplanes there, and yes they were called the "Viking" and the "Super Viking." Can't deny that.
Hell, they have a giant statue of a Viking right in town named "Big Ole." Can't deny that either.

The museum seems to have amassed a good number of the better finds from the area and elsewhere, but to the best of my knowledge they were all "discovered" in the US, mostly MN, but some from Wisconsin, North Dakota, and even New Hampshire I believe.

One plausible reason why the artifacts have dried up is because the stone only speaks of a party of around 30 men. Some were killed, and the rest split for home. There's only so much stuff they would have left behind regardless of the notion that this took place 700 years ago, and that stuff is hard to find. It's not like the area is going to just keep kicking this stuff out forever, although it would be cool if it did give up just a little bit more. Not that that would settle any of this. I think there have been some more recent finds than you realize, at least from the 1970's and 80's. My Mom had a book on the subject, if I could find it. I'll admit it's a little suspicious that it's mostly Norwegian settlers who found all this Norwegian stuff. Regardless, the subject still intrigues me.

 

[GoDeep]

Yes, they are all from the same museum. I believe it's owned by the Alexandria chamber of commerce if I'm not mistaken, and it's quite small. The museum itself probably struggles to break even, but the narriative is kind of important to the businesses there. Half the things in Alexandria are named Viking something or another. Bellanca used to manufacture airplanes there, and yes they were called the "Viking" and the "Super Viking." Can't deny that.
Hell, they have a giant statue of a Viking right in town named "Big Ole." Can't deny that either.

The museum seems to have amassed a good number of the better finds from the area and elsewhere, but to the best of my knowledge they were all "discovered" in the US, mostly MN, but some from Wisconsin, North Dakota, and even New Hampshire I believe.

One plausible reason why the artifacts have dried up is because the stone only speaks of a party of around 30 men. Some were killed, and the rest split for home. There's only so much stuff they would have left behind regardless of the notion that this took place 700 years ago, and that stuff is hard to find. It's not like the area is going to just keep kicking this stuff out forever, although it would be cool if it did give up just a little bit more. Not that that would settle any of this. I think there have been some more recent finds than you realize, at least from the 1970's and 80's. My Mom had a book on the subject, if I could find it. I'll admit it's a little suspicious that it's mostly Norwegian settlers who found all this Norwegian stuff. Regardless, the subject still intrigues me.

Yeah, it intrigues me too. I watched a show on it a few years ago. To me, it's almost just as cool that it could be a forgery. Pioneers cooking up forgery scams is pretty cool if you think about it.

 

[gunsil]

The whole thing is a fallacy, stone and tools. The 'runestone" on Nomans Island is also not what some think it is. The only definite viking relics that are authentic in North America are those found at Lanse-Aux Meadows in Canada. The iron relics from there are way more rusty than the ones displayed at that museum. And sadly, yes, there were hoaxes 100, 200, 300 years ago, likely right back to when man learned to talk. Perhaps they were in MA and traveled out to the midwest, but there is no academic archaeological proof of this. NONE. Zilch. I wish it were not so, I would love to have the opportunity to hunt a viking settled area but in just isn't or very unlikely to happen in the USA.

 

[GoDeep]

The whole thing is a fallacy, stone and tools. The 'runestone" on Nomans Island is also not what some think it is. The only definite viking relics that are authentic in North America are those found at Lanse-Aux Meadows in Canada. The iron relics from there are way more rusty than the ones displayed at that museum. And sadly, yes, there were hoaxes 100, 200, 300 years ago, likely right back to when man learned to talk. Perhaps they were in MA and traveled out to the midwest, but there is no academic archaeological proof of this. NONE. Zilch. I wish it were not so, I would love to have the opportunity to hunt a viking settled area but in just isn't or very unlikely to happen in the USA.

While i agree it's a hoax, the tools could be authentic Viking, however, that doesn't mean the tools were lost in Minnesota by ancient Viking explorers.

 

[Fortune Seeker]

I want to believe. I don't think it is too far fetched that the Vikings were in Minnesota at that time. They were expert mariners, and nomadic conquerors. Hopefully more will be discovered, it does make a wonderful story.