Work on a section of the Ottertail bike path has been delayed due to the discovery of human remains at a Native American burial mound off of Highway 108. The grave is estimated to date back to the 1800s.
"On Friday, September 21, they came around the corner and the skid steer operator noticed a bone coming out of the ground," reported Chris McConn, Interstate Engineering.
McConn updated the Ottertail City Council on the project at a meeting last Thursday.
The bike path passes over a portion of the burial mound where the remains were uncovered. The plan is to restore these bones to a gravesite to the satisfaction of the Indian Nations they belong to.
Hamline University archeology students and professors were recently onsite to carefully excavate the human remains. They are believed to be Ojibwe bones, but McConn reported that there may also be Dakota bones in the same mound.
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"They now want to go through the topsoil on the hill to look for Dakota burial remains," he added.
In an email to the council, an archeology professor involved with the project stated that Hamline University is unable to proceed with the work unless they receive confirmation that the city will pay for it. The first trip, involving two professors and five archeology students, totaled $1,943.
The plan is for two professors, along with 12 students, to visit a second time in order to identify additional human remains. The cost of this trip is estimated at $9,500.
The council approved a motion confirming that the city will cover the cost at this time.
Jim Jones, Cultural Resource Director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, would like to meet with city councilors to explain how all of this is playing out.
A special meeting has been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 a.m. This will give councilors an opportunity to talk to Jones personally and get a better understanding of the direction the Indian Nations would like to go in with the mounds.
Until the excavation of the area is complete, the construction crew is not allowed to work on that section of the bike path. The goal is to reach an understanding about the excavation of the remains so the path can still be completed this fall.
Once the path is complete, the city is considering hosting a celebration event, such as a ribbon cutting and community walk/bike ride.
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Native American burial mounds are known to be fairly common in the Ottertail area.
