This is a section of the AP article describing boats, etc. that have been uncovered due to drought conditions on the Mississippi River.

"Perhaps most interesting, a rock containing what is believed to be an ancient map has emerged in the Mississippi River in southeast Missouri.

The rock contains etchings believed to be up to 1,200 years old. It was not in the river a millennium ago, but the changing course of the waterway now normally puts it under water — exposed only in periods of extreme drought. Experts are wary of giving a specific location out of fear that looters will take a chunk of the rock or scribble graffiti on it.

"It appears to be a map of prehistoric Indian villages," said Steve Dasovich, an anthropology professor at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. "What's really fascinating is that it shows village sites we don't yet know about.""

and....

Yep. The low water levels we are seeing recently are exposing a lot of sites we couldn't get to before. Do you have a link to the site you are talking about?

So is this guy a mormon archeologist trying to push an agenda? Or is this just too unclear at this point to call?

Only Mormons take their shinola seriously; except for the fringe folks, most of the rest of the archaeological and anthropological community laughs at their claims.

And events in the BOM were over by 800 C.E.

Thanks Cabbie,
I always get a little nervous when some people come on here with claims that sound anything like the church has their foot in the door. In this particular story I find it somewhat suspicious that they don't mention the languauge it was written in, what the map actually says or indicates and even the timeline is speculative.

Just to answer a couple of questions. The map isn't written in any language. Written language did not exist at that time and place. From what I'm hearing the "map" consists of petroglyphs depicting what appear to be villages. And you're right, at this point any meaning attibuted to it is speculative. The media tends to hype up these preliminary findings in order to create a story.