Wednesday, December 3, 2008

December Mysteries

As I had done earlier, in October, I now present to you some of Oklahoma's historic strangeness associated with December:

In December 1903, newly paroled Cole Younger (one-time James Gang member) returned to the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma to search for the various treasures secreted there by his compatriots, Frank and Jesse James.

December 1999, the Weekly World News reported that the body of alien was found inside the belly of a fossilized Sauroposeidon proteles, a 110 million-year-old behemoth that many scientists consider to be the tallest animal to have ever walked. OU paleontologist in charge of the dig, Richard Cifelli, just laughed. In fact, he posted the article in his office.

An enigmatic "runestone" found in Tulsa Co. on a hillock known as "Bull Dog Hill," has been transcribed as reading "December 2, 1022". It is one of the tenous - and controversial - pieces of evidence that lead some to believe the Norse ventured far inland during their pre-Columbian excursions to the New World.

In December 1921, shadowy forms flitted about the Smith Farm in Hennessey on a nightly basis. Lights could be seen inside the barn, but whenever approached, the strange figures would vanish into the night. Phantom forms or a sinister cabal?

5 comments:

Ken Summers said...

Interestingly enough, the runic inscription is one of four found in the 1960s across Oklahoma. If the dates are accurate, they were written over a twelve-year period. Is it plausible? I say so. We often fail to give ancient peoples credit for being as talented as they were.

It's an odd world out there...

Cullan Hudson said...

Most famously, the Heavener Runestone, which had been first noticed by the Choctaw in the 1830's. For the longest time, locals called this monolith "Indian Rock" but none of the tribes (transplanted or otherwise) in the region had a written language. It wasn't until 1923, when representations of the markings were sent to the Smithsonian, that we came to learn they were runes. One man who studied the stone says it reads November 11, 1012.

But other smaller stones were found as well: two near Poteau, one near Shawnee, and the aforementioned "Bull Dog Hill" stone.

A University of Denmark scholar noted that the Poteau stones do not indicate dates, but rather a land claim for someone named "Glome". The Shawnee stone reads: MEDOK.

MARILYN A. HUDSON, MLIS said...

It should be remembered that around the year 1000 a climate change spurred explorations from Greenland to find new territory, possible migration avenues, and sources of food to survive he little ice that had descended. Brave motivated men with a knowledge of navigation, sailing (either open water or along coasts) would have had little difficulty finding or stumbling on the major river veins of the Americas.

Cullan Hudson said...

I'm reminded of all the years that scientists scoffed at those who were pushing the theory that Vikings were here first. Now, it's okay... they were here first, but it was just that little spit of land over there. It's hard to shake the conventions of Columbus.

And I can swallow the Vikings-first hypothesis because there is some solid data to back it up - data vetted by reputable scientists and researchers. However, when some begin to speak about Phoenicians, Egyptians, etc... I find myself tuning out. The reason: time and again that which they present as evidence is misinterpreted or hoaxed. On this blog, I have a link to Ancient American Magazing which is filled with these very same pieces of "evidence". Every little chicken scratch on a sandstone wall becomes "Ogam" and naturally ocurring Quartz hematite boxes become stone furnaces, rock walls, etc...

OPD-1 said...

I am more intrigued by the similarities in art forms showing common symbols of societies spread far apart or in facial or body characteristics that seem removed from common physical types of an area. When a society that is short and dark suddenly portrays tall blondes there is cause to saw hmmm....