Emotions Run High at Mission Creek Project Update Meeting

Native American cemetery was discovered at MnDOT bridge and highway project in 2017

DULUTH, Minn. – A meeting about the future of the Mission Creek highway and bridge project became a heated conversation.

The MnDOT project was put on hold in June 2017 after human remains were found at the construction site from a nearby Native American cemetery.

Members of the Fond du Lac Band were at the update meeting at the Gary-New Duluth Recreation Center.

They’re asking MnDOT and other officials what is being done to ensure proper re-burial of their ancestors.

“Because I know I’ve been there for fourteen generations so you’re talking about my ancestors there,” said one woman who spoke at the meeting.

The project has been put on hold as MnDOT and the state archaeologist’s office work to recover and restore the cemetery.

They’re sifting through earth, looking for human remains to re-bury.

MnDOT has worked with Fond du Lac Band officials to ensure the re-burial is done properly.

But, band members at the meeting say that’s not enough. They want the band community to be more involved in the re-burial process and are asking MnDOT to hold more community meetings to discuss it with them.

MnDOT officials tells because of their disturbance of the cemetery, they are looking to change some policies.

“MnDOT did have a procedure in place before this happened that was followed but I think since this happened, at a much higher level, there has been work going on and revisiting to policies on work to be done before we start a job in hopes that we can avoid running into this again in the future,” said Randy Costley, the MnDOT project manager.

There is no timetable on when the project will be finished.

MnDOT tells us they are about 60-65% done with their current cemetery recovery efforts.

They say once the cemetery has been fully recovered they will start to design a new plan to replace the bridge and that section on Highway 23.