Can Geologists Prove the Viking Discovery of North America?

The history that we were all taught growing up is wrong. My name is Scott Wolter, and I'm a forensic geologist. There's a hidden history that nobody knows about. There are pyramids, chambers, tombs, inscriptions. They're all over the world. We're going to investigate these artifacts and sites, and we're going to get to the truth. Sometimes history isn't what we've been told. So Mike, my understanding is this thing is a dangerous spot. Nobody is permitted on the island, and there's still a pretty good chance that there's unexploded ordnance. Even though there's a danger that we could hit something, I think it's worth the risk. The military blew the hell out of the island. Well, that's going to make it a little dicey for us, is it not? My job as a scientist is to uncover new evidence and challenge the history we've been taught. That's what I'm doing here, risking my life, searching for evidence that the Vikings made it to the United States. What I'm looking for is the final clue in my quest for the truth. It's a quest that began weeks ago in Oklahoma, where I examined what could be an enormous billboard left behind by the most intrepid voyagers of all time, the Vikings. The Vikings were fierce, seafaring voyagers. In the 11th century, they traveled far from their home in Norway and explored Iceland, Greenland, and even Canada. The question is, did they also explore the United States? I think they did, and the massive boulder here in Oklahoma, inscribed with a message, could be just one of the clues they left on American soil. Well, Carrie, I've had a lot of people contact me and say, you have to check out the Havener Stone. Obviously, that's why I'm here, but why do you think that people connect this site with the Vikings? The symbols on the stone are runes that date back to the Norse and the Vikings. OK. Well, I'm anxious to take a look. Well, there it is. You know what I just love about this? Is the runes are so big, and they're carved so deep. I mean, it's like a giant billboard. It's fantastic. When was this thing first documented? I believe the 1830s. It was the Choctaw Indians that were in the area that started verbalizing that they knew it was here. OK. So we're going back almost 200 years. That's a long, long time ago. When was the first attempt to try to get a translation? Someone sent it to the Smithsonian Institute sometime during the 1920s, and trying to see if they could authenticate it. And what was their reaction to this? I don't think they were that impressed. I think they were a little skeptical of it and believed that it was maybe a local Scandinavian that might have done it. Well, that's not a surprise. The Smithsonian Institute has a history of dismissing these mysterious anomalies. Originally, they thought that it was numerical, that it was possibly a date. Later, they brought in another linguist. And at that point, they found that it meant the words gloam, dowel. Which means what? Gloam valley. Actually, I've heard that gloam's a formal name of an actual Viking explorer going back to the ninth century. And if he came here, if this is the same gloam, gloam's valley, what we're looking at here could be a land claim. This Huebner runestone could prove that the Vikings came to what is now the United States. We've got this huge slab of rock, which fell off the hill at some point in the past, landed upright, perfect for carving an inscription. What I want to do is I want to take a closer look at the carved lines. This inscription here looks almost essentially the same as the rock. So I want to see closely, magnify in here, and look carefully at these carvings and get a relative idea of the age. This Huebner inscription is definitely runic, possibly a land claim, containing the name of an alleged Viking explorer. For me, the remaining question is the age of the inscription. If I can date this carving back to the Viking age, it would provide strong evidence that the Vikings were here more than 1,000 years ago. And that would change American history forever. You know what, Kerry? It looks like it's a quartzite, which is a metamorphose sandstone, geologically compressed over millions of years of heat and pressure, and made this rock very dense, very hard, and perfect for carving an inscription that's going to last. The other thing that I see is essentially no change in the color, texture, and weathering profile of the surface of the rock and the surface of the grooves. Now, that doesn't tell me that it's 1,000 years old, but it tells me that it's not modern. And the fact that it goes back to at least the 1830s, once you start to go back that far, you start to run out of any potential candidates that could possibly have carved this as a joke. Based on everything I see, the history, the language, the runes, and the geology all are consistent with this being authentic. I have to say, in my opinion, you've got a legitimate Viking Age inscription. The Vikings were ancient explorers who braved the open ocean to claim new land. They left their homeland and traveled to Greenland, Iceland, and even made it to Canada. That is where most people believe the trail of evidence ends, but not me. It wouldn't have been hard for the Vikings to get to the United States, even inland to Oklahoma. They could have easily sailed down the East Coast of North America, around Florida into the Gulf of Mexico, and up the Mississippi River, where they would have connected with other rivers to end up in Heven. Or they could have come through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connected with the Great Lakes, gone down the Mississippi River, connected with the Arkansas River to get to this spot. And that's where I think they may have left a message in runes on this rock, called the Heven Runestone. This Heaven Runestone could prove that not only the medieval Norse, but the Vikings came to what is now the United States. The inscription makes perfect sense. The runes look good. The weathering looks good. And therefore, I have to say, in my opinion, you've got a legitimate Viking Age inscription. It's good to know. A lot of people feel that way, too, around here. I have a good sense of this rock, but I'd like to be able to take a look at the overall geology to get a sense of how this piece fits in with that. Hey, Carrie. Hey, Scott. What'd you think? Well, it looks to me like a big slab of rock could easily have fallen from up there down the hill. Everything geologically fits. The rock up on the hill matches the Hevener stone, which I expected that, but it does add credibility to the whole thing. Well, I also have some pictures I'd like to show you. Well, that looks like another runestone. This is the Shawnee stone here, which was found in Shawnee, Oklahoma. OK. And this is the Poteau runestone found up on Cavanaugh Hill in Poteau. Are these nearby? Where are these stones? These are now in the Poteau History Museum. That reminds me of something that I saw. A woman forwarded an email to me with a picture of a runestone that she found. A few months ago, I received an email from a woman named Nancy Millwood, who stumbled upon a runestone as a young girl. Ever since then, she has been searching for answers to its meaning. The inscription on her stone intrigued me. And after examining the Hevener runestone, I think there are similarities in some of the carvings. This could be even more evidence. The Vikings were here. But I won't know until I get it into my lab. This is incredible. And these stones together with her stone, I mean, there could be a connection here. All of these stones could be Viking age. And they're all found right here in the United States. The Vikings are one of the most adventurous and brutal groups of explorers in history. They left the safety and security of their villages in Norway and braved the open ocean to conquer Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. Most experts today believe Canada is where their explorations ended. But I think the runestone trail they left behind could be evidence that confirms they went farther south. The Hevener stone I just examined is one of the artifacts that backs up my theory. And I'm headed to my lab to examine another one. This new stone could be one more piece of evidence that supports a Viking voyage to the United States. Well, Nancy, thank you so much for coming by and bringing your stone. Well, thanks, Scott. I wanted to tell you about a stone that I just looked at in Oklahoma called the Hevener runestone. It's an amazing runic inscription that I think is legitimate and could provide convincing evidence that the Vikings not only came to North America, but to the interior of what is now the United States. You sent me that picture that had an M in your inscription. And it looks vaguely familiar to the M I saw on the Hevener stone. There were two other stones found nearby the Hevener stone. And one of those had an M2 that looked a lot like what I saw on your stone. Nancy, if these are legitimate Scandinavian runes, and if I can date this back to the Viking Age, you just might have a piece of evidence here that proves that the Vikings made it to what is now the United States. The Vikings were legendary explorers. Their incredible voyages are recorded in books known as the Viking sagas, which say they traveled from Norway all the way to Canada. I'm investigating where they went next. I think they came to the United States and left clues behind, rune stones for us to uncover. By the 12th century, the Viking Age was over. I think their Norse descendants followed in their footsteps and left more rune stones, inscriptions I've studied throughout America. One in Maine even has a map that says one of the lands they explored was here in the United States. The stone I'm examining now, uncovered by Nancy Millwood, more than 40 years ago, could be a new clue, telling us exactly where the Vikings went. Well, Nancy, I recently looked at a rune stone called the Hebner rune stone in Oklahoma. I'm convinced that it's genuine and does prove that the Vikings came not only to what is now the eastern seaboard of the United States, but to the interior as well. You sent me that picture that had an M in your inscription, and it looks vaguely familiar to the M I saw on the Hebner stone. If you don't mind, I'm really ready to see this. I would love to show you. Well, there's the M, and it came out in two pieces. Well, tell me the story. How did you find this? Well, we were on a church picnic in Saluda, North Carolina. I was 11 years old. We were playing hide and seek, and I walked around under a great big granite rock to hide and actually tripped over the stone itself. You tripped over it? Yes, I did. Showed it to mom. She asked me to make samples of the runes on onion skin paper, and we took charcoal copies. I was curious, and we wanted to determine what it was. And I sent samples to different colleges around the area across the United States. This is a copy of the letter that I sent with the copies of the stone. So you really made an effort to try to figure out what this was. You reached out to all these people. What did they say? I have no response, except from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. And that was back in the early 70s. So from all these people that you contacted, there must be a dozen on there. Only one got back to you. Yes, sir. And what did they say? They suggested that I contact the Smithsonian Institute. We also sent a copy of a rubbing and scraping of the stone to the Smithsonian. And they asked if I would donate the stone for display. OK. So they wanted you to give it to them. Exactly. And apparently, you didn't give it to them. How did that play out? Mom said it's not going anywhere, or I did a whipping. Well, your mother was a wise woman, because I think that if you had given it to them, I doubt that it would have been on display. In fact, I think that they would have hidden it immediately based on what I'm seeing here. They would not have liked this. One of the things that jumps out at me right away are what look to be Scandinavian runes. I'm seeing dots. But this M is very interesting and very telling. You notice how these two lines in the center cross, forming a little x here? I'm doing some research on another project that this M might be related to. These are definitely runes. And the use of runes in Scandinavia goes back to at least 400 AD. And they were in heavy use all the way up until about the 14th century, generally. The Viking sagas talk about the Norse traveling to these three mythical land masses. One's called Helluland. One is called Markland. The other one is called Vinland. I believe that Vinland is in what is now the United States. Scholars believe that Helluland, Markland, and Vinland are real locations the Vikings voyaged to. It is accepted that the Vikings started in Norway and sailed west, traveling to Iceland and Greenland, and eventually reaching the shores of North America. Helluland is thought to be the present day Baffin Island. Markland is believed to be Labrador, which includes the island of Newfoundland. Vinland hasn't officially been found. And scholars still debate its location. But I think Vinland is in the United States. And Nancy's stone could be the evidence I'm looking for. You know, I would really like to get this under the microscope. Sure. Take a look? Go for it. OK, Nancy, a couple of things. This does look to be a soapstone. Unfortunately, because of that, it's going to be very difficult for me to say with any certainty how old the weathering is. So the minerals that it's made of really don't break down into any new minerals, which is typically what we would do to try to age date an inscription. So what that does is that puts even more emphasis on what the inscription says. There are a lot of really interesting things here that I'm seeing. There are some Scandinavian runes here that would be consistent with the Viking Age. I have a good friend of mine who is an archaeologist who's well-connected in the Scandinavian runic community, who I think can help us get this translated. Well, thanks, Scott. I feel like at times I've hit my head up against a brick wall. Yeah. Because I have no answers, and I've already came a lot further today than I was 10 years ago. So thank you for all your help. Scott. Hey, how's it going? Good, good. Hey, listen, I just examined a new rune stone that was brought into my office here by a woman she founded 40 years ago, and it's definitely a runic inscription. And it could indicate maybe that the Vikings were here in North America. We need to get this thing translated. Do you think you can help me? Yeah, definitely. I mean, if you send me some photos, I'll send it to one of my colleagues. You know, I have something for you, too. I had a chance to look at a rune stone myself. It's under the jurisdiction of the underwater archaeologist in the state of Massachusetts, which is how I heard about it. Underwater archaeologist? Is this thing underwater? It's off the coast of no man's land wildlife refuge, but the island itself is actually off limits. It used to be a naval testing facility, and it is covered with undetonated bombs. But here's why I wanted to talk to you about it. Supposedly, the name Leif Erikson is carved on it. You know what, Mike? I've already studied that rock, and it does say Leif Erikson on it. I wrote about it in my rune stone book, basically trying to understand the geology. But I could really use the opinion of an archaeologist like you. Well, the island is dangerous, Scott. I mean, there are bombs everywhere, man. Well, there are bombs everywhere, but what concerns me most is that that inscription could be erased forever. I'd love to join you up there, but there's one place I have to visit first. Oh, yeah? What is that? The only undisputed Viking settlement in North America. The Vikings are legendary for their epic adventures, expeditions that took them to Iceland, Greenland, and the shores of Canada. Right now, a site called L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland is the only archaeologically accepted Viking settlement in North America. The site dates to 1000 AD, and archaeologists replicated the buildings and structures the Vikings would have lived in. I'm headed there now, hoping to find something, anything, that could help me in my mission to uncover evidence that the Vikings came to the United States. Well, Brigitte, I think it's amazing that the Vikings made it all the way here. I mean, 1,300 miles from Greenland, 500 years before Christopher Columbus, but I want to find out if they traveled farther south and even made it into what is now the United States. This is the one site that everybody accepts as a known Viking site. How was it first discovered? It was discovered in 1960 by the Norwegian explorer and writer Helge Ingstad. So 1960 was the first time the world knew that the Vikings had come to North America and made a settlement here. When L'Anse aux Meadows was first discovered, it was instantly dismissed by academics. Scholars refused to believe that an authentic Viking site existed in North America. Archaeologists worked hard to uncover evidence buried beneath the surface, and today it is considered proof that Viking voyagers made it to Canada. It is a discovery that truly changed history. What did the archaeologists find specifically here at the site that told them this was a Viking site? They found buildings with a type of architecture used in 11th century Iceland. And the artifacts that went with the buildings were Norse, also dating from the late Viking period. Some wood artifacts had marks that they had been made with metal tools. And the native population did not use metal tools at this point. Away from these buildings is a little hut where people smelted and manufactured iron for the first time in the New World, as far as we know. Well, that is pretty significant. So the iron would have been for, what, nails and tools and weapons, maybe? Our theory is it was probably just to produce some nails. So would this have been maybe a wintering over type thing if they came down and winter over, repair the boats, and then in the spring take off and either go back or somewhere else? What the artifacts, in general, tell us is that this is a gateway for further explorations. How far south do you think the Vikings made it from here? And what evidence do we have that supports that? Very often, on an archaeological site, it's small, insignificant things that become the most interesting part of it. And here, it really was three little butternuts. Butternut trees are not native to Newfoundland, but they are native to the northeastern United States. In fact, they can't grow much farther north than Maine. The fact that archaeologists uncovered butternuts at the L'Anse aux Meadows site means the Vikings must have traveled farther south. The interesting thing with the butternuts is they actually grow in the same areas as wild grapes. And the sagas talk about grape trees. Whoever picked those butternuts and brought them here had also been in areas where there were wild grapes. You have to go all the way down to New England to find wild grapes. Uncovering two key pieces of evidence bolsters my case that the Vikings ventured farther south. The wild grapes and butternuts are essential clues in solving the mystery of where they went after L'Anse aux Meadows. One of the few places where both can be found is Martha's Vineyard on the east coast of the United States. This is the same place where a rune stone was discovered etched with the name Leif Erikson, one of the most famous Vikings to ever live. Now I'm headed to examine that stone. If it is an authentic Viking age inscription, it could be just the piece of evidence I need to determine if the Vikings made it to America. The stone with Leif Erikson's name on it that I'm hoping to see, I've actually seen before. But when I visited No Man's Land Island a decade ago, it was in danger of being permanently engulfed by the sea. The last time I was here, I couldn't get an archaeologist's opinion on it. So heading out here with Mike is really important in determining whether it's a real Viking artifact or a hoax. There are a few things here that we absolutely know. L'Anse aux Meadows proves that the Vikings came here 500 years before Christopher Columbus. I mean, we know the Vikings had the capability and the fortitude to travel incredible distances. And the distance between L'Anse aux Meadows and Greenland, skirting the coast, is about 1,300 miles. And the distance from L'Anse aux Meadows to No Man's Island is about 1,200 miles. So it's actually within a range that we know they were capable of traveling. Of course, the question is, did they do it? We need to find an artifact that is unequivocally Viking. And here's what I want to show you. Look at this inscription. That is unbelievable. 10 years ago when I was here, the stone was underwater. But it was, the top was sticking out about a foot. Now, this was taken in the 1920s. This stone, this is probably low tide, is high and dry. Right, right. You can clearly see that's a runic L, Leif Erikson. That M is a Roman number for 1,000. There's a 1 after it, so 1,001. That's consistent with the sagas. It's like Leif Erikson was here. You know, from L'Anse aux Meadows, they talked about traveling to a place that had a warmer climate. There's only one direction you can go to get a warmer climate, and that's south. I have investigated runestones all over this country. I believe some may be Viking inscriptions. But I think a few unique stones were actually left by Norse explorers in the post-Viking age. The Spirit Pond runestones in Maine are one example. The medieval Norse carved these inscriptions, which include a map that points south and says I think the Norse carved this map to mark the voyage their Viking ancestors made hundreds of years before. The sagas clearly indicate that they went south, a place where grapes grew. This place is called Martha's Vineyard, a vineyard, grapes. OK? So the climate fits. We have a stone that says Leif Erikson, 1,001. It all fits. I say Vinland is right here. The Viking sagas tell of seafaring voyagers who crossed dangerous waters to conquer new lands. So far, L'Anse aux Meadows is the only undisputed Viking site in North America. But I'm on a quest to find out the truth about where they went next. I think they went south all the way into what is now the United States. They left clues behind that support this theory, a breadcrumb trail of runestones. The Huebner runestone and Nancy Millwood's stone could be two of these clues. Now, I'm on my way to examine another runestone that just happens to say the name of possibly the most famous Viking explorer, Leif Erikson. The expedition could be dicey because of where the stone is located. But I always say, no risk, no reward. So Mike, as you know, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this question. Did the Vikings make it all the way down here to Martha's Vineyard area, and specifically to No Man's Land Island? And the evidence likely to convince a lot of people is the No Man's Land Island runestone. And I was here 10 years ago, but I got beat up pretty bad in the water. And I'm hoping that we can get out to the inscription and take a look at it, you especially being an archaeologist. But this thing is a dangerous spot. Yeah, I mean, it's a big but. No Man's Land was used as an aerial gunnery range for years, from 42 to 96. And the Navy was dropping bombs all over the place. It's actually now a National Wildlife Refuge, but nobody is permitted on the island. And there's still a pretty good chance that there's unexploded ordnance, not just on the island, but in the water around the island. Even though there's a danger that we could hit something, I think it's worth the risk. Because the inscription supposedly says Leif Erikson with Roman letters that say M and a 1, which would be 1,001. That is consistent with the Viking sagas. We know the Vikings made it to L'Anse in Meadows around the year 1,000. That's an undisputed fact in archaeology, in history. We know that happened. And No Man's Land is basically the last body of land you get if you're coming south and you're heading into this incredibly protected series of natural harbors and bays. So if you wanted to leave a marker that said, hey, this is a good entranceway, No Man's Land, that would be a good place to leave a marker. We have a potentially important historical artifact. It needs to be preserved. I don't even know if it's still there. If this is Vinland, and if there is some kind of a settlement in association with the stone up on the bluff, then there would be artifacts in association with it. But the military blew the hell out of the island. Well, that's going to make it a little dicey for us, is it not? Well, Mike, the stone is over there. It's the second one, the second big one over there. Hey, Scott, can you get us any closer here? No. We're already pretty shallow. There's a lot of big rocks in here. And I don't want to lose the keel. Well, what are we going to do? We've got to get over to that rock. Well, Mike, we're going to need a smaller boat. It's the second rock. See those two that are staggered there? You're OK here. There's one right here. Got it. Perfect. As soon as we get close to the stone's location, I knew we were in trouble. My worst fears had come true. Even though I know the stone that says Leif Erikson is here, there's no way we're going to see it today. Well, Mike, can you see that rock just to the right of the big boulder? It's underwater. Yeah, it just emerged there. If you watch the wave, you can see the stone. It's right there. There's no way we can do any research on that underwater. Even though the stone is right offshore and only 5 feet of water, it's too dangerous to go any closer. There are too many unexploded bombs on the shore and in the water surrounding the stone. Now, why do you think it would be deeper underwater now than it was when you were here last time? It's a geologic process that's ongoing. This is glacial sediments. The waves are pulling this down. I mean, you can see it's eroding right now. That rock, at one time, this bluff was up here. And it was probably sitting at the top of the bluff. It had to be exposed. They carved on it, right? So over time, it's eroded the bank. It slid down. In the 1920s, it was on the beach. When I came here 10 years ago, it was a foot higher than it is now. So it's sinking. It's literally sinking into the sea. We have this potentially incredible historical artifact, 1,000 years old, documenting a trip of Leif Erikson to Vinland. This is Vinland right here. And it's sinking into the sea. Why don't the archaeologists want to preserve it? As an archaeologist, what I would say is that context is critical. You don't want to remove an artifact from its original location unless you have to. Now, there could be an argument to be made here that it is now at risk of vanishing forever. And so therefore, it needs to be removed. It needs to be preserved up on land. OK. And I can appreciate that. But it's not so much that it's going to sink and be gone, although that is a concern. But the continued wave action, for all we know, may have destroyed the inscription already. I mean, we have to get it out. But it's not going to happen today. We're going to have to go. All right. I know that runestone says the name Leif Erikson. That tells me the Vikings came to the United States. All the evidence I have uncovered in my investigation points to this location as the Vinland from the sagas. The Heidner Runestone in Oklahoma is essentially a Viking land claim. The stone Nancy found has similar runes. And the evidence of wild grapes and butternuts found at the Viking settlement in Newfoundland points to the Vikings coming here to the United States. Seeing that the runestone was almost submerged was a real disappointment. And the unexploded bombs along the coastline make it too dangerous to navigate underwater. Now, it's inches away from being erased from America's history forever. The Viking sagas tell amazing stories of a courageous, brutal, seafaring people making a landfall on this continent long before Columbus. Even though L'Anse aux Meadows is the only universally accepted Viking settlement in North America, I believe they made it further south to the United States. Mike did get me a translation for Nancy Millwood's runestone, but it was inconclusive. Even so, I believe it needs to be taken seriously. In fact, I believe many runestones found across the United States make up the final unwritten chapter of the Viking sagas. Clues have been left here that will tell us the truth about the Vikings. But it is up to us to find them. In the end, it may not be an archaeologist that uncovers the truth. People just like Nancy Millwood stumble across artifacts all the time. And these artifacts are the key to unlocking the past, revealing the real history of the United States.