So, for the purposes of presenting this special "treasure-hunt," I will need to personate someone who wholeheartedly believes that it is, indeed, possible that Templar treasure might be awaiting us underground--from a special spot designated and pointed out by stoneholes in rocks. Metal detectors and ground penetrating radar could certainly be helpful, but we'll need to remember that any archaeological digging must be conducted by professionals, with permissions in place. In other words, don't even think about digging on your own at Runestone Park!
In his book, "The Hooked X," Scott Wolter seemed reluctant to associate the stoneholes at Kensington Runestone Park with the Kensington Runestone...they each needed to stand on their own, basically. But then he did end up bringing the KRS and stoneholes together, after all, associating them with his very open speculation about how the stoneholes at the park were perhaps used to form a "sacred geometric" design, useful in relocating something purposely buried by medieval-era Scandinavians. In this view, Wolter's view, the KRS was buried as a land claim, to be retrieved using the stoneholes. In contrast to Wolter's view, I'm not a bit hesitant to associate the KRS directly with the stoneholes, since both can be accurately seen as having true medieval Scandinavian origins. But frankly, I don't think the KRS was purposely buried as a land claim at Runestone Park...I think there are better odds that Templar treasure was buried.
Even though I think the stoneholes at Runestone Park are directly related to medieval-era Scandinavians, I'm not completely convinced that it was the KRS party who carved the stoneholes in the park area--that could have been accomplished by an earlier party of Norsemen. Additionally, the KRS expedition may have arrived at Runestone Park expecting to relocate and retrieve something buried earlier by Templars...so much is unknown.
Minnesota's esteemed former State Geologist, Newton H. Winchell, has pointed out the likelihood that Runestone Hill was in 1362 surrounded by much more water. In Holand's 1940 book, "Westward From Vinland," Holand tells of a ravine near the northwest section of the park that has been eroding over the centuries, lowering the water level around Runestone Hill bit by bit, until it is now nowhere near the "island" it once was. Here are three pages from Holand's book, detailing not only the erosional situation at the park, but also very clearly showing where the KRS was actually found buried.
So then, I don't think a lower and smaller island seen just to the north of Runestone Hill today should be confused with the "island" referred to in the runestone's inscription--that island being Runestone Hill, itself. Also, higher water around Runestone Hill in 1362 likely would've covered over the little island seen today north of Runestone Hill. And artificially changing the landscape at Runestone Park in more modern times wouldn't have affected what had been going on with the erosion for centuries.
We can know from Native American burial sites in the region that water levels several centuries ago were about what they are now today. Burial sites from many centuries ago weren't then--and aren't now--covered with water. Norse ships were never moored at Runestone Hill. The stoneholes surrounding the peninsula-island were used for something else! What? To hide a buried land claim? Or better still, to hide a hoard of valuables? Either one would be nice.
There seems to be little argument over whether the Knights Templar at one time had an over-abundance of money and other treasures, and it seems likely that they had a need to stash some of it away at a certain point...when it began to draw too much interest from the French king. Well, what better place to unload a treasure hoard than this part of the New World, back then barely known about? This spot in the remote wilderness of Minnesota might have seemed like a good location to set up a new monastic order of sorts--with the Chippewa River being just a few miles to the west.
People today want to know what the stoneholes were for at Runestone Park. They especially want to know now that it is more widely known that they were not hand-chiseled for "mooring" boats. In fact, the stoneholes may have been made at an earlier time than 1362, to later serve as visual aids--clues--in recovering something buried. A design would be needed for the stoneholes' encoding, to show returning Norsemen precisely where something was previously buried. My idea for finding treasure at Runestone Hill is built upon Scott Wolter's "sacred geometry" concept of using the stoneholes at Runestone Park to aid in recovering the KRS, supposedly buried as a land claim. (Obviously, we differ on what may have been buried...for Wolter, a land claim; for me, actual Templar treasure.)
So, the design I think I may have discovered about ten years ago--after spending hours crisscrossing stonehole locations pointed out by Wolter in his Hooked X book, on page 44--is that of a cut jewel with a large X within the design, as seen in the image, below. My completed composite image (the cut jewel design) with the large hooked X laid out upon the ground actually has its beginning with page 44 of Wolter's book, as a sky-view image with stonehole rock locations at the park pointed out. On this same page Wolter says: "Theoretically, a returning Norse party could survey the stone holes, triangulating to the location where the Kensington Rune Stone land claim stone was buried."
In essence, I continued on with the three-white-line "perfect equilateral triangle" design Wolter came up with in his Hooked X book, and I ended up with the "cut-jewel" design, which also shows the KRS placed as the hook on the large X laid out upon the grounds of Runestone Park. Seriously? Yes.
My key to understanding how someone would reconstruct the design using the area's stonehole rocks, was to figure out that one must first connect the stonehole rocks (shooting lines) at the outer edges of the encirclement of rocks. Then, the messy crisscrossing began (hours!), in which I did end up finally developing the inside lines of the design, including the huge X laid out upon the ground. I was completely taken by surprise when I saw that I had actually ended up discovering that the KRS itself had apparently been put into position in the ground, where it was found, to symbolically and physically represent where the hook of the hooked X was laid out upon the ground. Again, this is precisely where the KRS was unearthed. But, what about the center of the X in the design? Hello...is anybody OUT THERE!
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The small black X by the roadway in this old image, above, is marking the approximate spot where the center of the large X is laid out upon the ground, using my cut-jewel design. This is the spot where I think treasure may be hidden, concealed within a pattern of stonehole rocks at Runestone Park. I believe this is within the realm of possibilities, and yes, this is what this Christmas "special arm-chair treasure hunt" is all about!
There are, however, a few obstacles to an otherwise complete and orderly review of the stonehole rocks at Runestone Hill, and this makes an accurate accounting of all of the rocks nearly impossible. In fact, two large stonehole rocks were brought to the top of Runestone Hill from other nearby locations to show visitors what "mooring" stones look like, and this topical "encoding disruption" makes a complete and accurate design rendering nearly impossible. Wolter's Hooked X book also mentioned that four small stonehole rocks had been moved to the edge of a crop field. What was the original purpose of these small stonehole rocks? We may never know, but we can always hope that the stoneholes at the park will eventually draw us in closer to any treasure.
The original location of one of the two large stonehole rocks moved to Runestone Hill is generally known, thanks to Hjalmar Holand, and then to Scott Wolter. But the original location of the second of the two rocks brought to the little knoll is unknown--as far as I know. If this second rock's original position--though moved--was in good enough alignment with the correct cut-jewel design, then finding buried treasure at the center of the X laid out upon the ground is still possible. Target adjustments could be tried out, as well.
Again, it's possible that the design laid out upon the ground by stoneholes was made by an earlier expedition of Norsemen, perhaps actual Templars wanting to divest themselves of burdensome treasure. It seems likely that they no longer trusted the Catholic Church after their cruel put-down, so maybe the idea was to take a significant portion of the treasure and hide it at some farthermost points of exploration. Runestone Park may have been one of them...within reach of Vinland.
So, "X-marks the spot" would seem to be where professionals might begin using metal detectors in the future, and also ground penetrating radar. The stonehole encoding methodology planned for retrieval was probably accurate for centuries--until one particular stonehole rock was moved out of its original position by well-meaning park officials of times past. Hopefully, its original location can someday be determined, like the other large fractured stonehole rock presently on Runestone Hill. If so, we have a greater chance of finding buried treasure.
By the way, if I were honored to give any advice about a large-scale dig at Runestone Hill itself, I would recommend beginning at the very center, top, and then extend outward in a circle at a depth of about two feet. The Erdahl Axe was found in 1894 at Davidson Lake (the lake with two skerries) at a depth of eighteen inches, under a stump more than two feet across. The strange chunk of iron seen in the photos below was found about an "underhanded toss" away from where the KRS was unearthed; the chunk of iron was similarly found at a depth of around eighteen inches.
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Interestingly, in his book, "Templar Sanctuaries in North America," William Mann referred to iron as "Templar treasure." The piece of iron found on Runestone Hill, about halfway between the bronze plaque marker seen in the below photo and the top of the knoll, was found about eighteen inches deep. This was several years ago, after a windstorm. The iron object seems to have been made from scratch, something I don't think Olof Ohman accomplished. From research, it does not appear to be a piece of old farm machinery, as someone suggested. Two surface chip analyses were conducted on the iron object, but the core material needs to be looked at for an accurate chemical outcome. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you think you know what this chunk of iron is. The last I heard, it is at the KRS museum in Alexandria Minnesota, accompanied by a finder's statement.
Above, photo showing marker area with the top-knoll of Runestone Hill in the background after a windstorm several years ago. This wrongfully placed marker of the KRS "finding spot" states that thirty men were ambushed on a lake shore, and the plaque goes on to wholeheartedly swallow Hjalmar Holand's "Paul Knutsen recovery mission to Minnesota" theory hook, line and sinker, even though evidence is less than compelling. Worst of all, the actual finding spot of the KRS is likely to have been at the top of the knoll, not at all close to where the marker is. Here, again, it may be well to remember that the real discovery spot (the top of the hill) was reportedly viewable from neighbor Flaten's farm a short distance to the east. This simply would not have been possible for where the marker is now placed, proving that the marker is at the wrong spot. The old metal plaque should be removed from the park, in my opinion.
Below, statement of circumstances of the discovery of iron on Runestone Hill after a windstorm, by Bob Voyles:
I spent most of August 11, 2011 at Runestone Park getting a feel for the land, and I noticed a storm had uprooted two trees very near where the Kensington Rune-stone was found. It seemed odd to me that the trees ended up not toppling over in the direction of the wind, and I was trying to figure this out when I saw what appeared to be a reddish-colored small rock in the bottom of the largest hole made by the storm. The object was made more evident because of the late-day sun angling into the hole. I bent over to pick the rock up and quickly discovered that it was made out of metal...most likely iron, in my mind.
Supposing that the object might be an important artifact, I took a couple of photos and returned it back into the hole exactly as it had been, angling downward from 15" to 18" below the surface of the upheaved ground. I took another photo. Fearing that the object could be stumbled upon by someone else without regard for history, I placed two small clods of dried earth over the object to hide it from view until the proper authorities could come to take care of it. Then I took another photo of that, too.
The following morning, August 12, 2011, I stopped by the Museum in Alexandria on my way back to the Park and reported my find, and I got the number for the Public Works Department for Douglas County and called and reported my find. I explained exactly where the object was and that I had covered it over with a couple of small clods of earth. When I arrived at the Park within an hour or so, two gentlemen from the Surveyor's Office had already arrived and removed the object and were taking various measurements and some photos.
I went to extra lengths not only to preserve the object's provenance as much as possible, but also to protect it from possible theft. The object was never removed from the site until the proper authorities came to remove it. Recently, the iron relic was moved from the County Surveyor's office to the Runestone Museum for safekeeping.
I've developed a few opinions about what the object could possibly be, but they're based on my feeling that it is much older than ordinary farm equipment, for example. I think it is possible the strange object may have been a useful medieval wilderness companion of sorts, perhaps even serving more than one purpose. It could be a fire plough doubling as a crude side-arm, or perhaps it was used with a chisel. Where did the metal originate from? What is the composition?
If I had to chisel many holes into rocks, I would like to have something to hold onto to stabilize and secure my chisel as I whacked away at the rock. I would not want to hold a chisel in my bare hand. With a chisel fastened to this tool, my hand would be somewhat protected against the pounding and vibrations. The thick metal would insulate my hand from vibrations, but it could also just be much easier to hold the chisel and help keep stone chips from flying up into my face. Think of going on a journey where you may have to carve dozens of holes into stones. You may want to carve images and runes, too. Could this simple hand-tool, as a chisel holder, have made carving images and runes easier, too, for the same reasons mentioned above, for making holes in rocks?
After leaving the scene of the massacre (not disease), the ten men headed back south down the Chippewa River, to then go back inland east a few short miles in order to leave the memorial stone document (Kensington Runestone), dated 1362. With getting back to their ship alive on their minds at this point, I think the runestone carver may have decided to chuck the iron object at the site of the runestone carving since he did not intend to carve anything else, but rather was in a hurry to get back to "The World." Like pioneers discarding possessions along their way westward, these ten hardy souls may have decided to discard anything “extra” before leaving the runestone site, which could have included a handy iron chisel-holder, if ever there was such a thing. But still, it may have doubled as a crude but effective war-club. Anyway, if such a hand-tool were purposely tossed away from the spot where the KRS was carved, it could easily have landed exactly where I accidently discovered it 650 years later.
2021 top-view of Runestone Hill, facing northeast. I personally think the KRS finding spot (not the "treasure spot") is just left of the second-largest pine tree near the top-center of the photo. By pure happenstance, I think that the true finding spot of the KRS is just a few paces away from the large stonehole rock with the large, fresh-looking fracture, barely seen in this photo. The other large stonehole rock can be seen to the right. This is the rock that may hold the key to a successful treasure search, if only it could be determined where it was moved from...then, we would have a more complete and accurate stonehole design to work from.
In the meantime, there is the apparent cut-jewel, hooked X design at Runestone Park, where it appears that the KRS had been in position for centuries, serving as the hook on a huge hooked X laid out upon the ground--which would seem to be either a rare coincidence, or else an excellent example of Norse wit!
Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year! - Bob
PS: Did you get the two main "non-fantasy" takeaways?
1. The "island" referred to in the inscription on the KRS is Runestone Hill itself.
2. The KRS was found on top of Runestone Hill, not on a side-slope by the metal marker.
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