Re: Kensington runestone in the Scandinavian press



Alaca wrote:
> Philip Deitiker wrote:
> aJXoe.902428$w62.396460@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
>
> > "m_zalar@xxxxxxxxxxx" <m_zalar@xxxxxxxxxxx> says in
> > news:1118059017.741910.240190@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Philip Deitiker wrote:
> >>> Who thinks Ohman carved the stone? For some strange reason you
> >>> guys seem to think that minnesota was at the south pole. The
> >>> fur trade in the region had proceeded for centuries prior to
> >>> the Ohman farm, there were oxcart and abandoned fort trails
> >>> within site distance of the hill.
> >>
> >> As a note, Ft Abercrombie (ND on the Red River) was built in
> >> 1858. Any trail there probably used the exsisting Red River Ox
> >> cart trails as a basis, which ran a few miles of the KRS site
> >> These trails began in the 1820s - anytime before that and there
> >> seem to have been no trail or even fur trade that reached into
> >> that area. The Ox Cart trails were used almost exclusively by
> >> Metis travelling between Winnipeg and the Mississippi river
> >> (primarily the Minneapolis/St Paul region). It is certainly
> >> possible that some Norseman travelled this route, but it seems
> >> highly unlikely (I have kept an eye out for any such report but
> >> have seen none). The Red River trails should not be considered
> >> some easy highway that anyone could travel at thier leisure -
> >> they were there for a certain specialized trade between two
> >> points, and not in frerquent use.
> >
> > But the Old Abercrombie trail would have been usable by anyone who
> > liesure or not, managed to carve a 200 lb stone, and how exactly did
> > he carry it. So basically some sort of cart is part of the equation.
>
>
>
> There is no direct reason to post it here and now,
> (apart from the talkabout trails), but some days ago
> I have composed a map of the surroundings of the
> KRS with shaded relief, which gives (I think) a good
> impression of the terrain.
> http://tinyurl.com/br5ev
> The findspot is in the centre of the map, between Eng Lake
> and Solem Lake, on the hillock South-West of the '15'.
> (For a broad view, try scale 1:500.000)
>

Yes, the road that goes by Solem Lake is a good pointer. It ends at Co
Rd 15 - if you continue west, you will go down the hill on which
Flatten's farm is located and then up the Runestone hill (sort of a
reversed L shape). Northwest of this locaction, beyond the ridge is
where Ohman's farmhouse is located. Another farmhouse was located on
the hill to the south of Runestone hill, and to the north of Co Rd 183.



> In the light of the story on the stone,
> it is not the most obvious place.
>

It was on my first vist to the hill where I first began to think the
runestone story might be true. I had done a number of military history
papers (primarily on fortifications) during my college years. This was
a nearly perfect natural defensive position, and reminded me of an
overlarge motte (as in the motte and baily type of castle).
There are several distinct advantages of the location which a band in
hostile territory would find advantageous. The hill is steep sided,
providing a strong postion in case of attack; it is surrounded (or
nearly surrounded) by water, making a direct assault difficult; and it
has unobstructed lines of sight in all directions so that surprise
attack would be impossible. In short a group under the conditions
given on the stone, would have found this location irresistible for
setting up a campsite.


> BTW. I think it is a strange aspect of the story
> that they were traveling south, away from their ship.
>

Let me suggest a scenario. The group believes they are in Asia,
somewhere near Cathay (as is suggested in the Mercator/Dee letter).
They have followed the Red River inland to the first set of waterfalls,
near what is now Fergus Falls, MN, camping on the south side of the
River where the 10 men were attacked and the boats stolen or destroyed.
Coming back the rest of the men find signs that the attackers crossed
to the north side of the river.
The band sets out in a southerly direction, following the treeline
between forest and prairie, which as best I have been able to determine
runs roughly from Fergus Falls to the Kensington area. They discover
the defensible hill, and set up camp for a few days before determining
thier best course of action (which I think may have been to set out
west, crossing through Asia to reach Russia and eventually
Scandinavia).

Michael


> --
> - Peter Alaca - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

.

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