MARKER PLATE ON RUNESTONE HILL MUST GO!

 

(This commentary was published in Alexandria's Echo Press on July 19th, 2020, without the photos)

Marker Plate for Kensington Runestone Contains Inaccuracies

By Robert Voyles, Minnetonka, MN

This seems to be a suitable season to opine over "public symbols" from the past, so I thought I might add in my own two cents' worth over the worthiness or unworthiness of a particular local bronze marker plate. The marker plate is self-dated to 1948 and was erected on Runestone Hill to commemorate the finding spot of the Kensington Runestone. But, I submit that there are some serious flaws in the message on the marker-plaque, flaws that distort an otherwise seemingly truthful and orderly historical account of the 1362 medieval excursion into Minnesota by a band of Swedes and Norwegians. The lingering question in my mind is over what to do with the inaccurate — and therefore, offensive — cement and bronze monument.

I'm what you might call a "KRS message purist," meaning, I take the simple message carved into the runestone at face value. I believe that the details of the story really happened, while others take other approaches, such as thinking the story's details can be reduced down into meaningful numbers — in essence, doing away with a truthful story-line that I believe actually took place.

But, let's see what the message on the bronze plaque actually tells us, in order that we may better see some inconsistencies that immediately pop up between its message and the message on the KRS. In part, the KRS tells a story about 10 men who were killed by a lake with two skerries a day's journey north of Runestone Hill — while the plaque erroneously states, "On this spot was found a stone dated 1362 relating the story of a band of 30 men ambushed on the shore of a lake one day's journey north of here." Obviously, a pretty clear mistake.

Then, an even more egregious error pops up on the plaque. A proposed (but unverified) purpose for the KRS mission is given as historical fact: "Historians have identified these intrepid men as the Paul Knutson expedition sent into the West in 1355 by King Magnus Erikson of Norway and Sweden." So, here now, we have a huge problem, since there is no historical record of a Paul Knutson expedition actually ever leaving Europe — yet alone returning. Sadly, this was all made up in the mind of Hjalmar Holand, an early friend of the KRS and a man usually more astute in his findings. But, in this case of the 1948 bronze plaque on Runestone Hill, Holand's improper conclusions have led to a very public distortion of the truth. A bottom line, too, is that the message on the KRS does not give "search party" as a reason for their sojourn here.

So, what now to do with the faulty monument marking the important finding spot of the KRS? And by the way, have readers seen any of the 1970s State of Minnesota "Viking Trail" signs, each sporting a viking ship? I'm sure many of you have. Well, the left-behind Viking Trail signs are actually another spin-off from Holand's "search party" hypothesis. Perhaps I can tell the story behind the Viking Trail signs in a future commentary. If so, I will dwell on two important facts: 1.) The Viking Age was over by around 1100 AD, and 2.), the Kensington Runestone is dated 1362 — not a Viking in sight!

Editor's note; the writer has since added the following: A number of local researchers support the notion that the plate is not even marking the KRS's original finding spot. Support for this notion: the site was supposed to have been in full view of the neighbor to the east, which meant it was on top of the knoll and this seems logical enough for grabbing attention, too, assuming the stone was likely not originally buried. This is in addition to the 1910 black and white photo apparently showing Olof Ohman and two other men standing next to an American flag, apparently marking the exact finding spot of the KRS, on top of the knoll, not where the "already-doubly improper" 1948 commemorative plate is indicating.