Research & Projects | HUCAS | �鶹��ƵAPK

Research and Projects

Center for Anthropological Services

Archaeological survey of Mower County, Minnesota

The Center for Anthropological Services is conducting an archaeological survey of Mower County in southeastern Minnesota. Mower County was very likely an important cultural crossroads prior to the arrival of Euroamerican settlers. The county encompasses the headwaters of three river systems (the Root, Cedar and Upper Iowa Rivers) as well the Grand Meadow Chert quarry, which was an important source of stone for making tools.

However, the archaeological record of the county is poorly known. Only 85 sites have been documented, and most of these are in the eastern half of the county and have been minimally investigated. The goal of the current survey is to increase the number of documented sites, improve geographic representation, and update records of previously recorded sites.

The Center is fortunate to be working with a variety of partners, including Dakota communities, local residents, previous researchers and the Mower County Historical Society. This project is financed with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Grand Meadow Chert Quarry/Wanhi Yukan GPR Pilot Study

In collaboration with the Mower County Historical Society, the Center for Anthropological Services is conducting a pilot study of the effectiveness of ground penetrating radar (GPR) at an open-pit chert quarry in southeastern Minnesota. In addition to generous support from the Mower County Historical Society, and expert input from previous researchers at the site, this project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Mountain Iron Cemetery Project

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The Center for Anthropological Services is currently under contract to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Lands and Minerals to develop a plan to address risks to a late 19th to early 20th century cemetery posed by the erosion of a disused open pit mine. Watch the presentation at left to learn more about the project, or view the transcript below.

Thank you for your interest in the Mountain Iron cemetery project. �鶹��ƵAPK is working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Lands and Minerals, to address concerns about a disused cemetery on Minnesota’s iron range. The erosion of a nearby inactive open pit mine appears to be encroaching on the cemetery's boundaries.

The cemetery is in Saint Louis County east of the Mountain Iron city limits. It is located on School Trust Lands administered by the Department of Natural Resources, and covers a trapezoidal area of approximately 5,000 square feet immediately to the west of the unused Wacootah mine pit.

The fencing and original grave markers are gone, and the site is covered with low vegetation and scattered trees. In 2009, local residents received permission to remove some of the vegetation and place new grave markers on some of the graves.

There is little publicly available information about the cemetery. But it is likely that it was used between about 1890 and 1910 and appears to hold at least 18 burials. The identities of people buried there are uncertain but could include both Native and non-Native individuals.

What appears to be certain, however, is that the erosion of the Wacootah open pit mine immediately to the east is encroaching on the cemetery. In the late 1950s, the edge of the Wacootah mine was expanded to the west, almost reaching the eastern edge of the cemetery, as shown in the aerial photograph from 1961. Mining was discontinued in 1964, but since then, erosion has caused the edge of the mine to move further to the west, as shown in this present-day bare earth image.

It is very likely that erosion will eventually impact the cemetery.  And this could cause exposure of human remains and associated burial items on the west slope of the pit.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is working with the �鶹��ƵAPK Center for Anthropological Services to address this situation. The staff of the Center includes archaeologists and osteologists with extensive experience in the thorough and respectful recovery of human remains.

�鶹��ƵAPK has proposed a three-stage approach to the situation.

Because so little is known about the cemetery, the first stage is a preliminary investigation to gather essential information about the cemetery, and the identities of people potentially associated with it. The second stage would use this information to develop a project plan in consultation with interested parties. The third stage would be the implementation of the planned project. At the present time, the Department of Natural Resources has not made a decision about the final form of the project.

�鶹��ƵAPK completed the first stage of the project in the summer of 2023.

In May of 2023, �鶹��ƵAPK staff spent approximately four hours at the cemetery, mapping and photographing surface features, and making observations about its physical condition. No ground disturbance occurred during this visit. The visit to the cemetery supported concerns that ongoing erosion of the pit edge poses a serious threat to the cemetery. One corner of the cemetery is approximately three feet from the edge of the pit, which appears to be actively eroding and is undercut in some places.

The Department of Natural Resources has recently hired �鶹��ƵAPK to complete the second stage of the project.  An important part of the second stage will be continuing efforts to learn more about the cemetery and people associated with it. Although there is little publicly available information about the cemetery, it is possible that individuals and families hold important knowledge.

If you have any information about the cemetery that you would be willing to share, such as its history or names of individuals buried there, we would like to hear from you.

Please , or contact us by phone at 651-523-2891.

�鶹��ƵAPK will consult with interested parties as the project proceeds to ensure that the process is inclusive.

Thank you again for your interest in this project.

Red Rock Ridge Research Group

The Red Rock Ridge Research Group is made up of Indigenous elders and archaeologists that have been researching the cultural sites on the Red Rock Ridge, including Jeffers Petroglyphs, for twenty-five years. We have practiced Indigenous-centered archaeology with a primary goal of preserving the Ridge’s cultural sites and the integrity of their sacred landscape.

�鶹��ƵAPK History Project

Since 2004, �鶹��ƵAPK students have been conducting archaeological excavations on the �鶹��ƵAPK campus and in the surrounding �鶹��ƵAPK–Midway neighborhood. Excavations have included the site of the Hall of Science (1888–1971) in what is now the Blue Garden, the original �鶹��ƵAPK Methodist Church (1900–1925), and a section of the Territorial Road (ca.1840s –1860s) running from Saint Paul to Manitoba.

Since 2013, work has focused on the remains of the home of the Warner family (1881–abt. 1897) located beneath the lawn immediately to the east of Bush Library. Excavation in 2022 uncovered parts of the house foundation and family privy. In addition to excavation, students will play a role in site mapping, laboratory analysis, and public interpretation. Students can participate in the project by enrolling in Excavating �鶹��ƵAPK History ANTH 3810, taught during the Fall semester on alternate years. Interested students should contact Professor Brian Hoffman (bhoffman@hamline.edu) for additional information.

�鶹��ƵAPK's Legacy Collections

�鶹��ƵAPK possesses several legacy archaeological collections, which are older collections of artifacts that do not meet modern curation standards. �鶹��ƵAPK's legacy collections include some that are more complex to deal with: African and European artifacts deaccessioned by the Minnesota Historical Society in the 1960s, collections assembled by individuals and donated to the University, and items with no associated information at all. The collections that were donated to �鶹��ƵAPK include one assembled during the late 1980s, another that was possibly assembled during the early 1970s, and a third at an unknown date.

Another group, comprised of a number of collections that were assembled during survey and excavation projects in Minnesota between the 1970s and 1990s, were accessioned (officially made part of the collections an institution owns) at �鶹��ƵAPK largely because during this period, Professor Barbara O'Connell was the assistant to the state archaeologist and, at that time, the Twin Cities office of the state archaeologist was based out of �鶹��ƵAPK. These collections are in better shape, and typically have some associated excavation notes or a catalog, which refers to a list of the items from a site with identifications.

When we say that these collections do not meet modern curation standards, we mean that these objects are often not properly cataloged, are stored in inappropriate containers (popular examples include baby food jars, sandwich bags, and cigar boxes), and may not even have associated records. Some collections appear to not have been fully processed or analyzed.

Properly caring for these objects involves a long process of inventorying artifacts and documents, cleaning, and repackaging. Some of these collections may even need to be deaccessioned from �鶹��ƵAPK and accessioned at other institutions. We are currently nearing completion of the first stage of the process: inventorying the artifacts themselves.

Contact information

If possible human remains have been found, please contact local law enforcement.
Center for Anthropological Services

(651) 523-2891 HUCAS Phone

(612) 434-5783 Repository phone (monitored Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.)

hucas@hamline.edu
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