“Madoc am I,

The son of Owain Gwynedd

With stature large and comply grace adorned

No land at home, nor store of wealth

My mind was whole to search the sea.”

An Ancient Welsh Ode

A long, long time ago

A legend arose about blond blue-eyed river Indians

Although this story has never been fully authenticated

It’s been told through the centuries again and again

This mystifying tale begins in the year 1170

In the state of Alabama off the coast of Mobile

And it ends centuries later and many miles away

On the Missouri River in North Dakota in 1833

It’s said that 10 strange sailing ships

Arrived off the shores of Mobile one day

Its crew was a hardy lot of intrepid explorers

Who were led by a Prince Madoc of Wales

As Madoc and his men bravely trekked northward

They eventually built a stone fortification in Tennessee

But one epic and fateful day in a very fierce bloody battle

They were forced to leave by natives called the Cherokee

Chief Oconostota of the ancient Cherokee tribe

Told the story of a great war with strange white men

Finally their leader 'Modok' signed an epic peace treaty

These whites vowing never to return to Cherokee land again

And so these Europeans kept venturing ever northward

And they soon began shedding their old European ways

They also soon began to mingle with and marry native women

With their offspring becoming blond blue-eyed Indians one day

Many early French explorers along the vast Missouri River

Began telling tales of strange ‘natives’ with blue eyes and beards

And one of them, The Sieur de la Verendrye, kept a detailed journal

Depicting his fascinating encounter with them - 1738 was the year

On January 13, 1804, President Thomas Jefferson

Dispatched a message to Explorers Lewis and Clark

On their epic and historic journey up the Missouri River

“Be on the lookout for natives who are light-skinned not dark”

And in the year 1830 famous American painter and writer George Catlin

Arrived among the Mandan Indians of North Dakota staying with them 3 years

Painting wonderful pictures of their villages and of their European like canoes

And writing about their remarkable Welsh words their blue eyes and their beards

In the year 1837 these extremely peaceful native people known as the Mandan Nation

Were decimated by a very severe smallpox epidemic and most of them tragically died

So modern mankind will never really know the truth or fiction of this centuries old tale

About Welshmen in America long before Columbus becoming ‘natives’ with blue eyes

©2005, Ed Kostro

Could this incredible tale be true ?  Did a group of Welsh sailors arrive in North America 300 years before Columbus?  And did they and their offspring travel an incredible 1,800 miles from Alabama to North Dakota, assimilating with native peoples along the way, and one day, actually becoming the Mandan Tribe?

You decide.

Prince Madoc’s journey has been told for centuries, and many stories and poems have been written about him, including the one above.

He is believed to be Madog ap Owain Gwynedd, a son of Owain Gwynedd, King of North Wales, and it is likely that he was born at Dolwyddelan Castle in Wales in the twelfth century.

According to his legend, he first arrived in North America off the shores of Florida and was so impressed with the land he found, he quickly returned to Wales and convinced 10 shiploads of his countrymen to journey back with him.  Supposedly they did, landing this time in Mobile, Alabama, and eventually disappearing into the wilds of Tennessee – never to be seen again.

Historical evidence reveals that a series of pre-Columbian stone forts were built in the southeast United States, and Cherokee Indian legends say that strange white men built them.  One of these ancient forts is said to be nearly identical in setting, layout, and method of construction to Dolwyddelan Castle in Gwynedd, the birthplace of Prince Madoc.

Finally, renowned American artist George Catlin spent several years living with, studying, and painting various Native American tribes.  In 1841, he published his classic work:  Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians.

In his remarks concerning the Mandan people, Catlin wrote:

“I have dwelt longer on the history and customs of these people than I have or shall on any other tribe because I found them to be a very peculiar people.  From the striking peculiarities in their personal appearance, in their customs, traditions, and language.  I have been led conclusively to believe that they are a people of a decidedly different origin from that of any other tribe.”

Catlin’s book contains several pages about the Mandans, including a detailed vocabulary comparing the many similarities between Mandan and Welsh words.

His painting depicted above shows Mandan Indians in their very strange looking canoes – which many say remarkably resemble ancient Welsh vessels called coracles.

The Last of My Native American Poems For Awhile,

I now journey to majestic Utah,

On an assignment to help our furry friends,

And to search for more intriguing ancient tales.

See You All on My Return