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 in this country that nobody knows about. There are pyramids
here, chambers, tombs, and scriptures. They're all over this country. 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. [dramatic music] Mike, my understanding is this
thing is a dangerous spot. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: Nobody is
permitted on the island. And there's still a
pretty good chance that there's
unexploded ordnance. SCOTT WOLTER: Even
though there is a danger that we could be hit something,
I think it's worth the risk. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: The
military blew the hell out of the island. Well, that's going to make
it a little dicey for us, is it not? [dramatic music] 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 building left behind by the most intrepid
voyagers of all time, the Vikings. The Vikings were fierce
sea faring 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. [dramatic music] Well, Karry, I've
had a lot of people contact me and say you have to
check out the Heavener 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. Well, I'm anxious
to take a look. There it is. You know what I just
love about this? Is the rules are so big. And they're carved so deep. 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. SCOTT WOLTER: 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 Glome Dal. Which means what? Glome Valley. Actually, I heard that
Glome is a formal name of an actual viking explorer
going back to the 9th century. And if he came here, if
this is the same Glome-- Glome's Valley-- what
we're looking at here could be a land claim. This Heavener 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,
magnifying it here, and look carefully
at these carvings, and get a relative
idea of the age. This Heavener inscription
is definitely a rune, 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 Vikings, it would provide strong evidence
that the Vikings were here more than 1,000 years ago. And that could change
American history forever. You know what, Karry? It looks like it's
a quartzite, which is a metamorphosed 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 the least the 1830s-- once you start to
go back that far, you start to run out of any
potential candidates who 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 Heavener. 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. That's where I think they may
have left a message in runes on this rock called
the Heavener Runestone. This Heavener 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 ruins 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. [suspenseful music] Hi, Karry. Hey, Scott. What did 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 Heavener Stone, which I expected that, but it does add
credibility to the whole thing. I also have some pictures
I'd like to show you. That looks like
another runestone. This is a Shawnee
Stone here which was found in Shawnee, Oklahoma. And this is the Poteau
Runestone found up on Cavanal 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. After examining the
Heavener 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. [dramatic music] 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 Heavener 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. Thanks, Scott. I wanted to tell
you about a stone that I just looked in Oklahoma
called the Heavener 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 Heavener Stone. There were two other
stones found nearby the Heavener Stone. And one of those had an M too
that looked a lot like what I saw in your stone. Nancy, if these are
legitimate Scandinavian runes, and if I can take 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. By the 12th century,
the Viking Age was over. I think their Norse descendants
followed in their footsteps and left more runestones,
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. [dramatic music] Well, Nancy, I recently
looked at a runestone called the Heavener
Runestone in Oklahoma. I'm convinced 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 Heavener 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. 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. SCOTT WOLTER: 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 at Chapel Hill. 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'd get a whippin'. 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 looked
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. 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. Can I take a look? Go for it. [dramatic music] 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 wouldn't be consistent
with the Viking Age. I have a good friend of mine
who an archaeologist who's well-connected in the
Scandinavian runic community who I think can help
us get this translate. Thanks, Scott. I feel like at times I've hit
my head up against a brick wall 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. [dramatic music] MIKE ARBUTHNOT
(ON PHONE): Hello? Mike.
Scott. MIKE ARBUTHNOT (ON PHONE):
Hey, how's it going? Good.
Good. Hey, listen, I just examined a
new runestone that was brought into my office here by a woman. She found it 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? MIKE ARBUTHNOT (ON
PHONE): Yeah, definitely. Can 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 runestone myself. It's out of the jurisdiction of
the underwater archaeologists in the state of Massachusetts,
which is how I heard about it. Underwater archaeologists? Is this thing underwater? MIKE ARBUTHNOT (ON PHONE): It's
off the coast of the No Man's Land Wildlife Refuge. But the island itself
is actually off limits. There used to be a
vehicle testing facility and it is covered with
undetonated bombs. But here's why I wanted
to talk to you about it. Supposedly, the Leif
Ericson is carved on it. You know what, Mike, I've
already studied that rock. And it does say
Leif Ericson on it. I wrote about it in
my runestone book, basically trying to
understand the geology. But I can really opinion
an archaeologist like you. MIKE ARBUTHNOT (ON PHONE): 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. MIKE ARBUTHNOT (ON
PHONE): Oh yeah? What is that? The only undisputed Vikings
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 Vikings settlement in North America. The site dates to 1,000 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. Birgitta, 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 is 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 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 Vikings site existed in North America. Archaeologists worked hard
to uncover evidence buried beneath the surface. And today, it's considered
proven 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
the 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 of 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. [dramatic music] How far south do you think
the Vikings made it from here? And what evidence do we
have that supports that? Very often in an
archaeological site, it's small insignificant
things that become the most
interesting part of it. And here, it really was
three little butternuts. SCOTT WOLTER: 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 in 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. [dramatic music] SCOTT WOLTER: 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 runestone was discovered etched with the name Leif
Ericson, one of the most famous Vikings to ever live. [dramatic music] 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. [dramatic music] The stone with Leif
Ericson'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. 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
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. SCOTT WOLTER: Here's
what I want to show you. Look at this inscription. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: 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. You can clearly see that's
a runic L. Leif Ericson. That M is a Roman
number for 1,000. There's a one
after it, so 1,001. That's consistent
with the sagas. It's like Leif
Ericson 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 Vinland takes two days. I think the Norse
carved this map and marked 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 vine yard. Grapes, OK. So the climate fits. We have a stone that
says Leif Ericson, 1001. It all fits. I say Vinland is right here. [dramatic music] The Viking sagas tell
of seafaring voyagers who cross 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 bread crumb trail
of runestones. The Heavener Runestone
and Nancy Millwood's stone could be two of these clues. [dramatic music] 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 Ericson. 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,
specifically to No Man's Land Island? And the evidence that's 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. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: 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 Ericson with Roman
letters that say M and a one, which would be 1001. That is consistent
with the Viking sagas. We know the Viking made
it to L'anse Aux Meadows around the year 1000. 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
entrance way, No Man's Land, that would be a good
place to leave a marker. SCOTT WOLTER: 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? [dramatic music] 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, you know, I
don't want to lose the keel. What are we going to do? We've got to get over that rock. I could radio ashore and
see if I could get somebody to come out with a smaller
boat to get you in there. Well, Mike, we're going
to need a smaller boat. Chin up. It's the second rock. See those two that
are staggered there? You're OK here. There's one right here. Got it. Perfect. [suspenseful music] As soon as we get close
to the stone location, I knew we were in trouble. My worst fears had come true. Even though I know the stone
that says Leif Ericson 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.
MIKE ARBUTHNOT: Yeah. Just submerged 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 off shore in only five
feet of water, it's too dangerous
to go any closer. There are too many
unexploded bombs on the shore and in the waters
surrounding the stone. Now why do you think it
would be deeper under water now than it was when you
were here last time? The geologic
process, it'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. It was probably sitting
at the top of the bluff. It had to be exposed. They carved on it. You are 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. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: It's literally
sinking into the sea. We have this potentially
incredible historical artifact, 1,000 years old, documenting
a trip of Leif Ericson to Vinland. This is Vinland right here. And it's sinking into the sea. Why don't the archaeologists
want to preserve that? 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. It's not going to happen today. We're going to have to go. MIKE ARBUTHNOT: All right. SCOTT WOLTER: I know that
runestone says the name Leif Ericson. That tells me the Vikings
came to the United States. All of the evidence I have
uncovered in my investigation points to this location as
the Vinland from the sagas. The Heavener
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 on the water. Now it's inches away from being
erased from America's history forever. The Viking sagas tell amazing
stories of a courageous group of seafaring people making
landfall on this continent long before Columbus. Even though L'anse
Aux Meadows is the only universally accepted
Vikings 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
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.
If this is about the runes found there (Oklahoma), those are fake and we know that