LENAPE HISTORY, WHETSTONES

WHETSTONES

Archaeologists, who do research on ancient sites, know that if they find a whetstone, they can be positive that Norse were in the neighborhood.

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This Whetstone, was found by Steve Hilgren south east of Wynland.
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.The whetstone shows that Norse were in western Minnesota.  This artifact is evidence that the Norse skulls found by Thomas E. Lee are valid.
. The skulls were carbon dated to AD 1040.

. Thus whetstones found in America may indicate Norse settlements in America dating back one thousand years. 
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A whetstone, similar to the one Hilgrenn found, was the only artifact found under the Kensington Rune Stone.

A Whetstone similar to this was found near the Kensington Rune Stone. It may have a metal rod inside.

. A comparable whetstone has been found in the Museums in Greenland.

Whetstone found in Greenland

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The major Copper Haulers route was south, out of the Christian Sea, up the Nelson River and across Lake Winnipeg.

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At the south end of Lake Winnipeg the route went three ways. 

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One way was to Thunder Bay, north of Lake Superior.

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The second way was south, going up the Red River.

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The third way was west toward Minot, ND then south to reach the northern bend of the Missouri.

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If Norse had followed the Copper Route into North America, there should have been whetstones found along the routes.
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Were there any whetstones found in the Dakotas?

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The answer is, “None that we know about.”  

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But South Dakota does have two Whetstone waterways.

The overview shows where they are.  The Whetstone River near Big Stone Lake (north east corner).
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The Big Stone Lake area would have been a place where Norse may have lived for extended periods.  It is a site with woods, water, and a large body of water near-by.

The Whetstone Creek near Geddes, SD, has similar terrain adjacent to a major water source.

Both Whetstone areas may have been the location of Norse people. 
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From this location Norse people may  have “discreetly slipped away” and populated eastern North America during the two hundred years before the Little Ice Age.

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Compare the 200 year span to the 240 years the United States has existed.  There was adequate time for the Norse to populate eastern Norse America.  The evidence shows that they did.

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When “No one turned back,” the LENAPE may have known their relatives were living in better conditions in areas to the west.

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