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The Viking Altar Rock in
online.
/ref> It has four roughly triangular holes about 1 meter above the base. The rock is promoted as an attraction as part of a "Trail of the Vikings" featuring supposed evidence of Norse exploration of
Historical Sites: Todd County
{{coord, 45.784722, -94.916111, region:US-MN, format=dms, display=title Archaeological sites in Minnesota Geography of Stearns County, Minnesota Glacial erratics of the United States Minnesota culture Pseudoarchaeology Tourist attractions in Stearns County, Minnesota Rock formations of Minnesota Landforms of Stearns County, Minnesota
The Viking Altar Rock in Sauk Centre, Minnesota
Sauk Centre is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Sauk Centre is part of the St. Cloud, Minnesota, St. Cloud St. Cloud metropolita ...
, is a glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
Michlovic, Michael B. "Folk Archaeology in Anthropological Perspective" ''Current Anthropology'', Vol. 31, No. 1 (Feb., 1990), pp. 103-107 and a local landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
.
The boulder was found in 1943 and is roughly 8.2 m (27 ft) long by 5.2 m (17 ft) wide.Patricia Monaghan, "A Viking Visitation?" in ''Wineries of Wisconsin and Minnesota'' (Minnesota Historical Society, 2008), p. 8online.
/ref> It has four roughly triangular holes about 1 meter above the base. The rock is promoted as an attraction as part of a "Trail of the Vikings" featuring supposed evidence of Norse exploration of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. This is however conjecture.
The "altar" was rededicated in August 1975 with an ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
celebration of Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
.
See also
*Skystone
The Skystone is an andesite glacial erratic boulder in Bonney Lake, Washington, Bonney Lake, Washington (state), Washington. The boulder was deposited approximately 13,000 years ago. The stone's height and width are .
Uses
The stone may have ...
, a Western Washington erratic with pits drilled in its upper surface
References
External links
Historical Sites: Todd County
{{coord, 45.784722, -94.916111, region:US-MN, format=dms, display=title Archaeological sites in Minnesota Geography of Stearns County, Minnesota Glacial erratics of the United States Minnesota culture Pseudoarchaeology Tourist attractions in Stearns County, Minnesota Rock formations of Minnesota Landforms of Stearns County, Minnesota