Kensington Runestone

Record summary

The Kensington Runestone is a graywacke slab found by farmer Olof Öhman in Minnesota and bearing a purported Scandinavian inscription describing an expedition dated 1362. It matters for comparison because it links medieval exploration narratives, immigrant identity, runology and modern regional heritage. Most runologists and historians regard the inscription as a nineteenth-century forgery or modern creation, citing language, rune forms, provenance and context, although a minority has defended authenticity. No secure archaeological context demonstrates a medieval Norse presence at the findspot.