Re: Kensington runestone Vegetation)in the Scandinavian press

Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@xxxxxxxxx> says in
news:6ihsa1582oporj1sb4p76592l0ulskn1ge@xxxxxxx:

> On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 01:34:10 GMT, Philip Deitiker
> <Donevenask@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>Eric Stevens <eric.stevens@xxxxxxxxx> says in
>>news:7cura1tesnk930jbeqgl6is150f906nh7u@xxxxxxx:
>>
>>> On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 14:21:36 +0200, "Alaca" <P.Alaca@xxxxxxxx>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>> apart from which we do know that there weren't a parkland
>>>>> but a marsh/swampland with water in the ground during most
>>>>> of 19th century from the first map up to the 1880's maps the
>>>>> area around the hight where the stone was found is marked
>>>>> swamp land.
>>>>
>>>>Your scale is wrong. Think big.
>>>>Your swamp is c. one third of a mile².
>>>>That is only a very small part of a parklandscape.
>>>
>>> In the 19th century much of Minnesota was a swamp. That's why
>>> they put so much effort into draining it.
>>>
>>
>>I don't know about that, at least during the Ox-cart years the
>>region around kensington to both the north and south had trails.
>>Possibly there was a natural drying out the came down the red
>>river as navigable portions were connected to one another.
>>
>>http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/basins/mnriver/uppermn.html
>>
>>"
>>During the summer of 1767, Jonathan Carver, an English-colonial
>>and one of the most noted chroniclers of early America,
>>described the upper river as, "A most delightful country,
>>abounding with all the necessaries of life that grow
>>spontaneously. Wild rice grows here in great abundance; and
>>every part is filled with trees bending under their loads of
>>fruit, such as plums, grapes and apples." Even as recent as
>>1966, a report by the United States Geological Survey stated
>>that surface waters of the Big Stone Lake sub-watershed,
>>although hard were generally of good quality. "
>>
>>There are actually surveys from the mid 18th century I posted
>>the last time the issue came up. There is no particular good
>>information on what minnesota was like in 1362 however the
>>height of the swamps tended to rise in cold weather and fall
>>during warmer periods, probably as a result of ice blockages in
>>the northern red river valley as a result of prolonged winter
>>cold periods. Even so the height of lake Agassiz never reached
>>kensington after 7 kya, and the shore would have been miles
>>away, with a 200 lb stone more than 1 days walk.
>>
>>Although if you can show there was something markedly different
>>about the kensington/west story. I am realatively certain that
>>that KRS is probably refering to the great lakes, and in the end
>>one will have to concede it is a fraud or transported from
>>somewhere else and dropped.
>
> My original comment was directed to Peter Alaca's statement:
>
> "Your swamp is c. one third of a mile².
> That is only a very small part of a parklandscape."
>
> That's why I wrote " In the 19th century much of Minnesota was a
> swamp."
>
> See: http://mbbnet.umn.edu/hoff/hoff_agassiz.html
>
> "People of the Red River Valley are hardly unaccustomed to
> spring flooding. The valley's first settlers, a group of
> small-time farmers who had been forced off their land in
> Scotland, were nearly washed away by the severe flood of
> 1826. A quarter century later, high waters brought about a
> major relocation movement to higher ground.
>
> Not until near the end of the 19th century was the valley's
> drainage problem first addressed by the Minnesota
> Legislature and not until after World War I was a
> comprehensive drainage system in operation."
>
> Now they are trying to restore the original wetland by building
> dams. One of the areas affected is the hill where the KRS was
> found.

The red river recently flooded causing extensive damage, rain water
in the US particular eastern U.S. runs in long multidecadal cycles,
the dust bowl was one of these cycles. It is potentially true that
the norse arrived during a particularly wet period. A swamp is not a
swamp simply because it is flooded annually, these regions are
generally refered to as 'bottom land' or flood plane, and it is
frequent, for example on the colorado the bottom land is 20 feet
above the normal river level, and is characterized by pecan groves
and other nut trees, very fertile land. A swamp is a region of land
that remains covered with water most of the year and is characterized
by plants which can sustain the submersion of their entire root
system in water for more than a couple of days without root rot
setting in. Bald cypress, mangrove, etc are examples of swamp trees,
cattails and other grasses examples of swamp plants.
Needless to say in 1898 the Ohmans are not addressing a swamp
drained as a result of the 20th century remediations.

Any more diversions, Eric?



--
Philip
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