Hidden beneath layers of moss and time, a remarkable archaeological find has emerged from the forests of northern Ontario. The so-called ‘Wawa Runestone’ features over 250 Nordic runes and may be the longest known inscription of its kind on the continent.
By Bill Steer
Most archaeological discoveries in Canada are linked to the First Peoples.
After being covered by overburden for more than two hundred years, there’s a colonial tablet now covered with another season of snow.
Now there’s the Wawa Stone – a new archaeological treasure, akin to the pursuits of Indiana Jones.
The tablet
When we think of tablets, our minds immediately go to brand-name computer ones. But in this scenario, Moses and the Ten Commandments are the link. Historically, tablets refer to early writing surfaces, with cuneiform-like, symbolic old writing styles.
This Wawa tablet, inscribed on bedrock, is a large, 1.2 by 1.5 m slab, referred to as a runestone, containing 255 Nordic runes, with a depiction resembling a Viking longboat boat with about 16 figures, and 14 “X” marks.
It has been identified as the text of a 17th-century Swedish version of the Lord’s Prayer. The Wawa Stone was discovered in 2017 after a tree fell in a forested area of Wawa, and the ground became exposed. Serendipity.
It is considered the longest known runic inscription in North America.
Were the Vikings here? It is not related to the Beardmore relics and the often thought of Norsemen presence on the Great Lakes.
That story is a famous Canadian archaeological hoax involving Viking artifacts (a sword, axe head, bar) “discovered” by prospector Eddy Dodd near Beardmore in the 1930s, which the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) displayed for years as proof of Norse presence in North America. Later it was revealed as a planted fake, likely obtained by Dodd from a Norwegian immigrant, exposing a major museum scandal and highlighting the importance of critical historical analysis. Here is a two-minute overview of the Vikings visiting Beardmore (near Nipigon).
Local expert knows
Johanna Rowe is a key player in this mystery. She knows the story like no other.
The Wawa native is one of northern Ontario’s most prolific writers of community heritage.
In an interview, she began by saying, “The key to a nation’s future is in her past. A nation that loses it has no future. For our deepest desire – the instrument by which a continuing society moulds its destiny – spring from our own inherited experience.” (Arthur Bryant, English Saga, London: Collins, 1940).
Johanna said she borrowed this quote from Arthur Bryant for my Honours BA paper in 1990 on the history of the Michipicoten area.
“Did I know I would be continuing to peel back multiple layers of stories immersed in the Wawa/Michipicoten landscape 35 years later? “
This is one of the most unique stories to surface in northern Ontario from a Colonial history perspective. “Absolutely. Did I think I would be dropping into a wormhole of a Scandinavian alphabet born during the Viking era? Not even on my radar.”
Wawa folks know of her passion for the rich, local history. She is the author of many regional history books, the Door Project (Sept. 2021 BRBill story) and has another book in the works slated for 2026 on A.Y. Jackson, who summered in the Wawa area.
“In the summer of 2017, a local property owner and well-known Wawa resident told me there was something on his property that he was sure would pique my interest. He described it as a mystery partially covered by moss. In his opinion, likely a hoax or someone just leaving their mark.”
What happened next? Given directions, she “grabbed my 10-year-old niece and headed out to explore the landscape in question.
“Wawa bedrock is rarely smooth, often scarred and cracked from a long list of natural and human processes. Trying to identify markings that were not the result of Mother Nature.
“It took some time…but we found it. If we weren’t looking for it, we easily could have walked right over its hard surface. The evidence of a determined carver was staring up at us through dirt, dust and moss partially pulled away to reveal their handiwork. The roots of two medium-sized trees toppled over were nearby. Someone had attempted to pull more of the 5 inches of heavy moss, soil and roots to determine if the carving continued further.”
The carving consisted of symbols that obviously represented text. Some of the symbols seemed familiar to her, but most did not.
Are there more? “We wandered further along the cleared bedrock and saw a second panel of carvings. We could identify what seemed like the profile of a boat with people in it, as well as x’s or crosses above and below the bow and stern of the vessel.
“Looking at the mysterious letters was like looking up at the stars for the very first time. Your brain recognizes that this is something important, but your gut is churning, and your heart is racing because all three parts of your consciousness are unable to make sense of what you are looking at.”
So many questions confronted Johanna.
“Are there more? We wandered further along the cleared bedrock and saw a second panel of carvings. We could identify what seemed like the profile of a boat with people in it, as well as x’s or crosses above and below the bow and stern of the vessel. So many more thoughts raced through our heads.”
Attempting to answer these questions became a team effort. With permission of the property owner, she took photographs and circulated them to archaeologists, “I was familiar with during previous research.”
Archaeology
“Archaeologists are not easy to come by.”
In the fall of 2018, she was grateful to finally be approached by Ryan Primrose of Woodland Heritage Northeast (Timiskaming Shores) and the Ontario Centre for Archaeological Research Education (OCARE). “His first words to me were “Johanna, you have created a disturbance in the Force”. We have been allies on this and other projects ever since.”
With some help from linguistic researchers, the first question was tentatively answered right away. “The carved text seemed to be written in futhark (form of runic alphabet) characters, a runic script created during the 1st century A.D. in northern Europe and Scandinavia. That answer, however, created so many more questions. This is where I learned that my imagination and wild assumptions about possible theories were not helpful.”
“Archaeology is a science, and as such, a mystery like this needs to be approached using the scientific method. We do not look for evidence to make the pieces fit to get the answer we want. We start from a null hypothesis, and work towards confirming evidence to prove any theory of who, what, when and why.”
That being the case, she said, “I would be lying if I stated that I wasn’t intrigued by a number of History Channel documentaries on pre-Columbian Viking exploration. That is, until our Wawa research team grew to include Dr Henrik Williams, the world’s leading runologist from Uppsula University in Sweden, and Loraine Jensen, then President of the American Association of Runic Studies.”
In the fall of 2019, Henrik and Loraine were attending a runic conference in the U.S. and extended their travels to include a trip to Wawa.
Johanna explained that during “a typical rainy Wawa fall day, Henrik spent three hours under a tarp diligently documenting each of the 255 runic characters inscribed in Wawa’s bedrock.
“During dinner, Henrik revealed that he had translated the runic inscription. It is a modern Swedish language version of the Christian world’s most well-known meditation, the Lord’s Prayer.” You can see his entire report here.
“It is interesting that you can read the translated runes with each character transliterated with bold Roman letters and numbered (the runes in red are carved within boxes). Dr. Williams states this runic version was later used in “multilingual collections of the Lord’s Prayer, most importantly a compilation of versions in different languages.”
He states that the Wawa inscription is carved in Modern Swedish, “probably by a native Swedish-speaker, and relies on a pattern first produced in 1611 but reprinted at least as late as 1733. The Wawa reproduction can presently not be dated closer as it could hypothetically be carved already in the 17th century, but just as well more recently.”
Dating runic inscriptions in stone can be challenging. “Based on my examination, I would conclude that the one in Wawa is from the 1800s and thus possibly the oldest yet found in North America (the Leif Eriksson monument in Boston with its runic inscriptions was erected in 1887). For obvious reasons, the Wawa inscription cannot be older than 1611, but it may also possibly be as late as from the 20th century. Identifying the immediate pattern text will provide an earliest possible date for the inscription.
How significant this is, “In any case this is a most intriguing monument evidencing an impressive effort, fascinating contents and well worth protecting, as well as to be known publicly.”
It is a significant find on the Ontario landscape, like no other.
They now know the what. The spelling and phrasing of the prayer, as well as the bedrock erosion at the site, put the date of the carvings in the mid-1800s.
“We still don’t know who and why. We have our theories about Swedish residents who worked nearby at the Michipicoten fur trading post.”
The Michipicoten fur trading post operated for a very long time, with activity starting in the early 1700s (French post in 1725) and continuing through the North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company eras until its official closure in 1904, making it a nearly 300-year centre for the fur trade. The first immigration to the interior of Canada included European immigrants to northern Ontario in the 1800s, via water transportation. It accelerated rapidly with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the development of mining and lumber industries.
Since the media release in June of 2025, a wide range of theories have been forwarded to the team. “Some have merit, and we are grateful for the leads. Other creative theories simply advance the interests and social media “likes” of those who do not follow the null hypothesis.”
There is a keen interest in runestones. In 2023, she was invited by the American Association of Runic Studies to present findings on the Wawa Runestone at their Rune Round in Denmark.
“I met with leading researchers in the field of early Scandinavian history and runestone study and interpretation Northern European immigrants have played an important role in the settlement and economic activity throughout the Canadian landscape.” Scandinavians are a proud culture and have left their mark in wide circles around the world.”
Although there are still more questions to answer about the Wawa Runestone, “we can firmly say that someone of Swedish heritage who wanted to leave their mark and legacy on a piece of bedrock in the Michipicoten hills, far from their homeland.”
The Wawa Stone project is far from over. Johanna continues to be a student of history. “I continue to enjoy peeling back the layers of stories and experiences that are part of the rich cultural landscape in my own backyard. Perhaps something more of us could do to better understand our past and prepare for the future.
Archaeologists are working to secure the site and develop it into a tourist attraction.
From the Ontario Centre for Archaeological Research and Education OCARE website. “Overall, the Wawa Runestone is considered to be of national interest, and even international interest. Upon disclosure to the public, this site will serve as a historical landmark with substantial tourist value. As such, the site should be protected and preserved for future generations.”
Johanna reports, “Plans for the site include landscaped trails and interpretive panels. The team is currently working with partners to design an appropriate platform and structure that will both protect the carvings from erosion and vandals, but also provide access that is meaningful and memorable.” Funding is being sought.
“The Wawa Runestone is an incredibly unique artifact that opens visitors’ eyes to another layer of history on this rugged northern Ontario landscape. Our goal is 2026.”
As the esteemed Dr. Williams states: “The Wawa stone is Ontario’s first with actual runes, the longest documented runic inscription of any on the North American continent and the only one in the world reproducing the Lord’s Prayer.”
Come spring, though, the future significance of this fortuitous discovery may be better known. The site has not yet been publicly identified.
Looking forward to seeing the Wawa Stone on the back roads.
This article was originally published in Village Report on Jan. 24, 2026.
