PLACE NAMES

WHY would a man carve RUNES on a GRAVE STONE in ARKANSAS?

CONSIDER the PLACE NAMES ALONG THE RIVERS
from the Mississippi, vis the Arkansas, up the White

MODERN NAME..........OLD NORSE................OLD NORSE MEANING
MISSISSIPPI..............MESTR SIPPI...............MIGHTY WATERS
ARKANSAS................AA KAN (al) SA (lt)..,.....RIVER CHANNEL SALT
WAPANOCCI..............FA BA MOKI................WHITE (no salt) FISH
CASSCOE..................KASSE KØYE................BOX BERTH
MAGNESS.................MAGNUS.....................NORWAY KING, c 1070
BATESVILLE..............BAKKE VILL..................HILL VILLAGE
POWHATTEN..............POW HATTEN..............PRIESTS TOWN
POCAHOANTAS...........POKKE HANN (tas)........ROUNDED bank HARBOR (breast)
ASH FLAT.................ASK FLATE,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,..WOOD FLAT
WISEMAN..................VIS MAN....................WISE PEOPLE

from the ARKANSAS/WHITE FORK up the ARKANSAS

PINE BLUFf...............PEN BLØFFE.................NICE BLUFF

From the ARKANSAS/POTEAU FORk up the POTEAU

POTEAU...................PORTAL........................PORTAL (narrow valey)
HEAVENER.................HEVE NOR......................HIGH POINT (Runes)
BATES.....................BAKKE...........................HILL

From the ARKANSAS/CANADIAN FORK up the CANADIAN into TEXAS

CANADIAN.................KANAl DAl (ian.................WIDE RIVER VALLEY
OKLAHOMA................OGSA HJEMME..................FOLKS' HOME
SPIRO.......................SPIRitUOsa......................SPIRITS
WASHITA MT...............AA CHU TA......................WAY MOUNTAINS THERE
WANNETTE.............. .. WANN SETTE...................ATER PLACE
ALI BATES...................ALLE BAKKE....................EVERYONE’S HILL
BORGER......................BORe GIRe......................BORE GEAR
STINETTE....................STINkd sETTE...................STINK PLACE

Maybe. so the NORSE travelers who passed by would read the MEMORIAL