The Heavener, Oklahoma Runestone is Not the Only Anomalous Find in the State

In the 1830’s Choctaw Indians who had been flushed out of their native lands came across what is today’s hotly debated Heavener Runestone. Located in Heavener, Oklahoma, the stone itself is 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide and is believed by some to be around 1,000 years old.

Photographs of the eight characters etched into the stone were sent to the Smithsonian Institute in 1923. The famed institute sent back a reply declaring the inscription to be ancient Norse in nature but for some reason nothing on their part was done about it.

As word of the Heavener Runestone spread, several researchers and specialists in various fields stepped in to decipher the runic inscription. One translation is said to read “Glomesdal”, or “Valley of Glome”, while another says the inscription translates into “Gnomedal”, or “Gnome Valley”. It is interesting to note that the latter translation fits in with the ancestors of that particular area and who believed the valley overlooked by the stone to be inhabited by gnomes.

The giant runestone has also been interpreted to read as the specific date of November 11, 1012, or St. Martin’s Day – a popular Nordic holiday.

Adding to the Heavener Runestone mystery were the discoveries of three additional Oklahoma anomalies. The Poteau Runestone was discovered in 1967, the Shawnee Runestone was discovered in 1969 and on Turkey Mountain in Tulsa inscriptions were found etched into a stone; all finds are believed by some to be pre-Columbian in nature.

The etchings and runestones are dispersed throughout the state in such a manner that today it is widely thought they may have all acted as some form of boundary markers for the ancient Norse.

Whatever the belief, it is now known that Norse explorers reached the Americas well before Christopher Columbus. Whether they made it all the way into Oklahoma territory is a definitive “yes” for some and thought of as impossible by others.

It should be noted that an entire state park was erected around the Heavener Runestone to protect it, but due to budget cuts the park was closed in August of 2011. However, the City of Heavener took over operation in July of 2011 for continued protection of what is viewed by many to be an invaluable historical site.

Please visit these sites for more information:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavener_Runestone

www.heavener-runestone.com


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