ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

KENSINGTON RUNE STONE COLLECTION

COLLECTION: OGL #1040 (addition)

DATES: 1964-2002

SIZE: .25 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: This addition to the Kensington Rune Stone Collection was deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Curt Hanson, Assistant Archivist, Department of Special Collections, on December 30, 2002 (Acc.#2002-2587).

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This addition to the Kensington Rune Stone Collection consists of photocopies of various journal, magazine, and newspaper articles about the Kensington Rune Stone. The articles date from 1964-2002, and are arranged chronologically.

Also included are copies of two oral history interviews from the Minnesota Historical Society. The tapes were separated and placed in the Audio Tape Collection. Tape #2050 is a 1967 interview with (Frank) Walter Gran and Josephine (Gran) Carson. Tape #2051 is a 1970 interview with Walter Gran alone. In the interviews, the Grans report that their father, John Gran, chiseled the stone as a hoax along with Olaf Ohman, on whose property the stone was found. The originals for both tapes are kept by the Minnesota Historical Society.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 2
Folder

  1. Theodore Blegen, “Frederick J. Turner and the Kensington Puzzle.” Minnesota History, Winter 1964
  2. Minnesota Historical Society Oral History Interview Data Sheet for the Gran Tapes: 1967 and 1970
  3. Erik Wahlgren. “Reflections Around a Rune Stone.” Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, January 1968
  4. Birgitta Wallace. “Some Points of Controversy,” in The Quest for America. Praeger Publishers, 1971
  5. “The Case of the Gran Tapes: Further Evidence on the Rune Stone Riddle.” Minnesota History, Winter 1976
  6. Stephen Williams. Selection from Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991
  7. Erik Drilen, “Maybe the Vikings Made it Norse America,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 24 May 1992
  8. Rolf Nilsestuen, “Evidence Shows Kensington Runestone is No Fake,” Minneapolis Star Tribune. 12 July 1992
  9. Minnesota Historical Society. Roots. “Vikings in Minnesota: A Controversial Legacy.” 1993
  10. Peg Meier. “Hoax or History?: The Kensington Rune Stone is Minnesota’s Contribution to the Bermuda Triangle of Artifacts Seeking the Stamp of Authenticity.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1 March 1995
  11. Richard Nielsen. “Early Scandinavian Incursions into the Western States.” Journal of the West, January 2000
  12. Marc Stengel. “The Diffusionists Have Landed.” Atlantic Monthly, January 2000
  13. Michael Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman. “The Amazing Vikings.” Time, 8 May 2000
  14. Arne Brekke, “Heyerdahl: The Kensington Rune Stone is Genuine.” 14 November 2000
  15. Peg Meier. “Geologist Thinks Runestone not a Hoax.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 29 November 2000
  16. Handout from the Midwest Archaeology Conference, November 2000
  17. David Knutson. “Just How Old is the Kensington Runestone?” Grand Forks Herald, 10 December 2000
  18. Walter Gibbs. “Did the Vikings Stay: Vatican Files May Offer Clues.” New York Times, 19 December 2000
  19. Barry Hanson. “The Kensington Runestone: Physical Features, Past and Present.” Journal of the West, Winter 2001
  20. Michael Zalar. “16th Century Cartography, Plat Maps, and the Kensington Rune Stone.” Journal of the West, Winter 2001
  21. Peg Meier. “2nd Runestone a Hoax, Say Two Who Claim to Have Carved It.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6 November 2001
  22. Minnesota Archaeological Society Newsletter, Fall 2002
  23. Chuck Haga. “This Time It’s True: Viking Artifacts in Minnesota.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 18 November 2002
  24. Peg Meier. “Smithsonian’s 2nd Opinion: Runestone is a Fake.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 30 November 2002

SEPARATIONS RECORD

Two tapes were separated and added to the Audio Tape Collection.

Tape #2050:Interview with (Frank) Walter Gran and Josephine (Gran) Carson, 1967
Tape #2051:Interview with (Frank) Walter Gran, 1970

 Original Donation  First Addition: 1964-2002
Second Addition: 2003-2006  

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