Northwest History: Spokane's Great Viking Rune Hoax

Northwest History: Spokane's Great Viking Rune Hoax: Northwest History: Spokane's Great Viking Rune Hoax



n July 11, 1926, the New York City readers of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle took up a question that perhaps none of them had previously considered. What were they to make of the alleged discovery of Viking runes in Spokane, Washington? "Query--Who Discovered America First? Bobs Up in Alleged Runic Inscriptions" screamed the headline, over a delightful illustration of a cartoon Columbus shaking hands with a stereotypical Viking. The caption reads "Says the shade of Leif Erickson to the shade of Christopher Columbus: 'Shake! We both did a good job!'"