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Archiver > NORWAY > 1998-03 > 0888970605


From: MN Room <>
Subject: The Hagan Axe - 13th Century - Vikings in America?
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 19:16:45 EST


I wish I could attach a pic of the axe. I will work on it.

From "A Diary of Milan (Minnesota)" by Margery Burns page 31
About 1875, young Chostov Knutson was out in Ole Hagen's field
in Big Bend working hard at breaking up the heavy sod when his
plow turned up an interesting looking iron hatchet. He picked it up
and took it along with him to ask if anyone had ever seen anything
like it before. No one had. Young Chostov put it down in the barn
and forgot about it. Years later, when the old barn was being torn
down, the old iron hatchet was found under a pile of rubbish.
After some negotiations, Professor Holand of the University of Wisconsin,
made the trip out to see Ole Hagen's grandson, Manfred Hagen who
had this iron hatchet. Professor Holand took the hatchet back with him
to make some tests on it, and he declared that this iron hatchet
was brought here in the 13th century, and it was used for splitting
open iron helmets. Since no one had been on Ole Hagen's land before
he came in the 1860's, except for Indians, and since the land had never
been broken up before, the only ones who could have brought
it were the Vikings, the same ones who wrote on the Kensington Runestone.
Manfred Hagen still has that hatchet in his posession."
The above was written in 1969
Ole K. Hagen was one of the four first settlers for that part of Chippewa
County
in west central Minnesota settling there in 1869
=============================================
Another story found in "Diary of a Country Village" by Lloyd O. Olson page 23
It is a book on the Norwegian community of Big Bend City/Hagen/Hagan
"The year was ...... 1 8 7 5
In 1875, Ole K. Hagen, who one of the first settlers that came in 1869,
decided to break up some virgin soil. Kjastov Knutson was hired to do
the job. An ax, that has proved to be very interesting was found by
Kjastov Knutson in the virgin soil. At the time that the ax was found there
was not any effort made to identify the ax and it was placed in a barn and as
the years passed it was forgotten about. Many years later, when the barn
was being dismantled, the ax was again located. This time, there was an
interest in identifying the ax and negotiations were made with Professor
Holland from the University of Wisconsin. Prof. Holand made the trip to
Hagan to examine the ax, brought it back to Wisconsin and decided that the
ax was from the thirteenth century. (Could this have been an ax from the
Runestone Expedition?) A second and similar ax has been found more
recently on the Maurice Gabrielson farm which would be within five miles
of the first one that was found." This book was probably written around 1980.

Check out the FAQ file below. There is some controversy on the runestone.
Here is my view on it.
The Vikings might have followed the Chippewa River because it comes
close to the Kensington Runestones and very close to the Hagan Axe.
The Kensington Runestone site is about five miles from the Chippewa River
and the Hagan Axe was less than a mile the Chippewa River.
The 1000s of Canadian Geese might have drawn the Vikings from the
Hagan Axe site westward thru Gabrielson's field to the current location of
Lac Qui Parle lake where the geese stay at night.
They probably found Indians staying along this headwater of the Minnesota
River.
And the axes might have been battle sites with the Indians.
The Runestone might not have been weathered because one spring thaw
might have softened the soil enough to tip it over. Two hundred pound
slab in soft soil with in a brisk March/April winds might have tipped it over
onto the letters.
Again its just a theory of mine and I am not expert on it.

I could not find the Hagan Axe on the web. It will eventually find a spot at
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnchippe/
This site will also contain info about how to buy these books.
I will work on getting a picture of the axe at this site as well.

For more info on the Runestone try
http://www.altavista.com/
and enter into the search engine
+viking +"runestone museum" +minnesota
or
+viking +"kensington runestone" +minnesota

Kensington Runestone FAQ
http://www.sound.net/~billhoyt/kenfaq.htm

Kensington Runestone Home Page
http://www.sound.net/~billhoyt/kensington.htm

Later
Michael Andrews (Americanized from Andreasen)
Hometown: Milan, MN
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnchippe/
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnswif

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