Scott Wolter

So when I did my work, I compared the weathering of the inscription with tombstones of like mineralogy from the same weathering environment.

The runestone was found about a foot in the ground coming up, and the top of the backside was actually at the surface, and the tree was over the top of it.

And so tombstones is perfect.

And I took samples off the tombstones with permission at above and below grade and, you know, compared that with the runestone.

And I did scanning electron microscopy.

And after doing that work, I was able to conclude that

that the weathering of the inscription is older than 200 years, because on the tombstones, that mineral began to come off the surface of the tombstones at about 200 years.

On the runestone inscription, all those minerals are gone, obviously older than 200 years.

And that's all I can say.

But that's from 1898 when it was pulled out of the ground because it hasn't been in a weathering environment since.

It's been indoors or in a museum.

So the weatherings going back 200 years from 1898, well, there was nobody there.

It's in a museum in Alexandria, Minnesota, about 15 miles from the farm where it was found in the Runestone Museum.

And it's been there since about, oh God, early 60s.

I forget now.

Well, we know what the real history is.

And maybe I'll start by just telling you what the inscription says.

Okay.

Sure.

It starts with a number.