Ancient history could be paved
9,000-year-old First Nations site threatened
Brian Lewis, The Province
Published: Friday, October 01, 2010
There's a vacant piece of property on the Fraser River's southern bank, slightly upstream from the Alex Fraser Bridge, that looks remarkably ordinary.
However, this changes abruptly once R.G. Matson, a professor emeritus in archeology from the University of B.C., explains what's beneath your feet.
What you are actually standing on is abundant evidence of human history that stretches back before the days of Stonehenge in the U. K or the pyramids in Egypt.
This is the Glenrose Cannery archeological site in North Delta, where since 1969 scientists have dug deep into its earth and discovered artifacts and other remains that confirm that ancient First Nations peoples were using this location as a temporary summer food-gathering place as long as 9,000 years ago.
It's certainly one of B.C.'s oldest heritage sites and it's also well known internationally in archeological circles, but as important and priceless as it is, that's still not going to stop the B.C. government from building the $1.2-billion South Fraser Perimeter Road over it.
And that's why a small gathering of concerned citizens and community groups assembled earlier this week to hear Matson explain the site's importance and why it should be protected.
"When I started work on this site in 1973, it was the first piece of West Coast archeology that I did, but ultimately, it may be the most important," he tells us.
Previous archeological excavations show evidence of human habitation such as stone and bone spear points, knives and other tools, as well as animal remains including elk, deer, harbour seal, shellfish and salmon.
Matson says the oldest traces have been found more than eight metres below the current surface and represent the Old Cordilleran period, which is between 5,000 and 9,000 years old.
However, from an artifact point of view, the site's most productive layers were found between about five and six metres deep, which represents the St. Mungo Period from between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago.
"You have to realize that, in this site's earliest days, the Lower Mainland and Fraser River delta looked very different," Matson says. "Richmond didn't exist, because that lower part of the delta hadn't been formed yet. Point Roberts was an island and this site was, in fact, at the Fraser River's mouth."
The Glenrose site is unique because its deepest parts are much older than similar archeological sites farther downstream on the Fraser, Matson says.
"Some of the questions that future archeologists will have can only be answered by having this site preserved," he warns.
Richelle Giberson, a nearby neighbour who is organizing a campaign to save the site, is particularly frustrated by a lack of information from the Gateway Project group, the B.C. government agency building the four-lane, 40-kilometre SFPR that will connect Deltaport with Highway 1 in Surrey.
"Nobody at Gateway has any answers, other than to tell me there will be an impact on it," Giberson says. "Why are we building a freeway though this site?"
A Ministry of Transportation spokesperson said Thursday that steps are being taken to minimize impacts on the archeological site, but declined to go into details.
"I think we're going to have to watch this site like a hawk," Matson adds.
© The Province 2010
Showing posts with label destruction of Native American sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label destruction of Native American sites. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Illegal Construction at Effigy Mounds National Monument
Unauthorized Construction May Have Damaged Effigy Mounds
By Becky Ogann, KCRG TV
Story Created: Apr 23, 2010 at 11:45 AM CDT
(Story Updated: Apr 23, 2010 at 1:15 PM CDT )
HARPERS FERRY - Unauthorized construction projects may have damaged the ancient cultural features that Effigy Mounds National Monument was established to protect.
A team of archaeologists is working to determine what, if any, damage to the mounds may have been inflicted by the unauthorized construction of a maintenance shed in the north unit and an elevated boardwalk trail on the Nazekaw Terrace directly across Highway 76 from the visitor center.
“We didn’t mean to do wrong, but we did,” said Effigy Mounds Superintendent Phyllis Ewing.
In an effort to improve access to mounds for people of limited mobility, Effigy Mounds staff began construction of the Nazekaw Terrace boardwalk in the fall of 2008. Work was abruptly halted a year ago when Park Service regional staff, conducting a periodic compliance review, found that two required documents — an environmental-impact statement and a historical and cultural impact statement — had not been completed before the project was undertaken.
The review uncovered other irregularities dating to 1999, including a similar malfeasance preceding the 2002 construction of the much larger Yellow River boardwalk and bridge, said Steve Adams, the Park Service’s Midwest regional associate director of cultural resources.
Adams said it remains to be seen what repercussions may ensue from the violations of federal law.
“It’s a very serious matter,” he said. [Yeah, right. Tell me, was anybody fired during the last go-round? Was anyone prosecuted for malfeasance in office? Ha!]
The maintenance shed has already been dismantled, and the fate of the Nazekaw Terrace boardwalk will be determined by an advisory council, which includes tribal representatives, after the archaeological study is complete, Adams said.
Options include removing the trail’s aboveground portions; removing the entire trail, including the many underground concrete piers; leaving it as is; and completing it.
A similar evaluation will be required for the Yellow River trail. Adams said his gut feeling is that the Yellow River boardwalk and bridge will not have to be removed.
“The fortunate thing about the Yellow River trail, at least it was down there (in the river bottoms) away from the mounds,” Adams said.
The same can’t be said for the half-finished spur to the Nazekaw Terrace, which has a few intact conical and linear mounds, many degraded mound remnants and more remnants likely to be confirmed by the archaeology studies now under way.
A team under the direction of National Park Service archaeologist Steven DeVore has spent most of April conducting aboveground testing of the soil’s magnetic and electrical resistance. The readings, DeVore, said will pinpoint areas in which the soil has been disturbed, indicative of ancient mound construction.
State Archaeologist John Doershuk said, “It is possible that significant cultural resources were adversely impacted.”
Ewing and her staff “misunderstood their responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act” and did not take full advantage of available Park Service experts, Doershuk said.
Nor did they consult, as they should have, his office, the State Historical Society of Iowa and their tribal contacts, Doershuk said.
Meskwaki Tribal Council member Don Wanatee said his people were disappointed that the final resting place of their ancestors may have been disturbed. “We’re concerned that the underground piers (used to support the elevated trail) may have caused permanent damage to the site,” he said.
“It was a mistake, and the Park Service has apologized for it,” said Patt Murphy of Salina, Kan., a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, who has been on site monitoring the archaeologists’ work for most of this month.
Murphy said the site is sacred to members of 12 Indian tribes whose forebears once lived along the Upper Mississippi River.
“Any place where Indians have been buried is sacred to us. My personal feeling is that people were buried here because it is sacred ground,” he said.
Murphy said the park managers’ mistakes do not reflect a lack of respect for Indian sensibilities. “They respect our opinion, and they respect the land,” he said.
Doershuk, too, said Ewing has been a conscientious steward who has worked hard to develop good communications with the descendants of the people who created the mounds.
Ewing said she takes full responsibility for the failure to follow the legally prescribed procedures.
The Park Service’s dual mission, she said, is to preserve natural and cultural resources and to make them available for the education and enjoyment of the public. In this case, park staff failed to maintain the proper balance, she said.
Wikipedia information on the Effigy Mounds National Monument
By Becky Ogann, KCRG TV
Story Created: Apr 23, 2010 at 11:45 AM CDT
(Story Updated: Apr 23, 2010 at 1:15 PM CDT )
(Image: Great Bear Mound group, just one of the sacred places in the
Effigy Mounds National Monument, from Wikipedia Commons)
Effigy Mounds National Monument, from Wikipedia Commons)
A team of archaeologists is working to determine what, if any, damage to the mounds may have been inflicted by the unauthorized construction of a maintenance shed in the north unit and an elevated boardwalk trail on the Nazekaw Terrace directly across Highway 76 from the visitor center.
“We didn’t mean to do wrong, but we did,” said Effigy Mounds Superintendent Phyllis Ewing.
In an effort to improve access to mounds for people of limited mobility, Effigy Mounds staff began construction of the Nazekaw Terrace boardwalk in the fall of 2008. Work was abruptly halted a year ago when Park Service regional staff, conducting a periodic compliance review, found that two required documents — an environmental-impact statement and a historical and cultural impact statement — had not been completed before the project was undertaken.
The review uncovered other irregularities dating to 1999, including a similar malfeasance preceding the 2002 construction of the much larger Yellow River boardwalk and bridge, said Steve Adams, the Park Service’s Midwest regional associate director of cultural resources.
Adams said it remains to be seen what repercussions may ensue from the violations of federal law.
“It’s a very serious matter,” he said. [Yeah, right. Tell me, was anybody fired during the last go-round? Was anyone prosecuted for malfeasance in office? Ha!]
The maintenance shed has already been dismantled, and the fate of the Nazekaw Terrace boardwalk will be determined by an advisory council, which includes tribal representatives, after the archaeological study is complete, Adams said.
Options include removing the trail’s aboveground portions; removing the entire trail, including the many underground concrete piers; leaving it as is; and completing it.
A similar evaluation will be required for the Yellow River trail. Adams said his gut feeling is that the Yellow River boardwalk and bridge will not have to be removed.
“The fortunate thing about the Yellow River trail, at least it was down there (in the river bottoms) away from the mounds,” Adams said.
The same can’t be said for the half-finished spur to the Nazekaw Terrace, which has a few intact conical and linear mounds, many degraded mound remnants and more remnants likely to be confirmed by the archaeology studies now under way.
A team under the direction of National Park Service archaeologist Steven DeVore has spent most of April conducting aboveground testing of the soil’s magnetic and electrical resistance. The readings, DeVore, said will pinpoint areas in which the soil has been disturbed, indicative of ancient mound construction.
State Archaeologist John Doershuk said, “It is possible that significant cultural resources were adversely impacted.”
Ewing and her staff “misunderstood their responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act” and did not take full advantage of available Park Service experts, Doershuk said.
Nor did they consult, as they should have, his office, the State Historical Society of Iowa and their tribal contacts, Doershuk said.
Meskwaki Tribal Council member Don Wanatee said his people were disappointed that the final resting place of their ancestors may have been disturbed. “We’re concerned that the underground piers (used to support the elevated trail) may have caused permanent damage to the site,” he said.
“It was a mistake, and the Park Service has apologized for it,” said Patt Murphy of Salina, Kan., a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, who has been on site monitoring the archaeologists’ work for most of this month.
Murphy said the site is sacred to members of 12 Indian tribes whose forebears once lived along the Upper Mississippi River.
“Any place where Indians have been buried is sacred to us. My personal feeling is that people were buried here because it is sacred ground,” he said.
Murphy said the park managers’ mistakes do not reflect a lack of respect for Indian sensibilities. “They respect our opinion, and they respect the land,” he said.
Doershuk, too, said Ewing has been a conscientious steward who has worked hard to develop good communications with the descendants of the people who created the mounds.
Ewing said she takes full responsibility for the failure to follow the legally prescribed procedures.
The Park Service’s dual mission, she said, is to preserve natural and cultural resources and to make them available for the education and enjoyment of the public. In this case, park staff failed to maintain the proper balance, she said.
*****************************************************************************
Hmmmm. Who got paid how much, and when, and who ultimately benefited from the prior construction project and who would benefit financially from this latest illegal project? Follow the money. I have a feeling, though, that this is the last we'll hear of this story.Wikipedia information on the Effigy Mounds National Monument
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Dogs Being Set Up as Scape-Goats
You can just see it coming - it will all be the dogs' fault because they didn't sniff out "remains" properly when wholesale multi-million dollar development starts at the contested sites and further evidence of "Native American" settlements, including burials, are uncovered. If taxpayers think money is being ill-spent now in utilizing these specially trained sniffer dogs, just wait until they - via the governmental authorities involved - are sued by various NA tribes seeking to recover millions MORE for irreparable damage to their ancient heritage sites. Will angry taxpayers insist on lynching the sniffing doggies in effigy - or worse - hunt down the offending dogs and kill them, one by one? Only in America...
Story from Peninsula Daily News (Washington state, USA)
By Paul Gottlieb
Last modified: March 31. 2010 12:27AM
Dogs in shoreline archeological survey stick up noses at most locales, but find some areas interesting
PORT ANGELES -- The four forensic canines who patrolled 50 acres of Port Angeles' waterfront late last year for buried Native American remains indicated 93 percent of the area was of "no or insufficient interest," according to a statement released by the city late Tuesday.
None of the dogs alerted at their top level, defined as "on top of a burial," according to the statement.
"In summary, very few areas studied along the waterfront contained enough historic human remains scent to cause specially trained canines to alert to a statistically accepted level," said the statement, released by city spokeswoman Theresa Pierce.
The study, conducted under a $19,200 contract with the Institute for Canine Forensics of Woodside, Calif., showed the remaining 7 percent of the study area was ranked from "some interest by at least one dog" to "great interest by at least two dogs."
The location of the 7 percent that interested the dogs was not announced in the city statement.
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles said the survey, which she said late Tuesday she had not seen, indicates good news for development interests.
"I think it is good, and hopefully it relieves a lot of the surrounding areas about the potential out there in that aspect," she said.
"Economics is greatly needed in our area."
Charles added that a protocol is in place that ensures the protection of full and isolated remains should they be discovered when development occurs
A shoreline survey conducted last summer by city archeologist Derek Beery showed a medium to high statistical probability that Native American artifacts or remains are present under half of Port Angeles' waterfront.
It encompassed 872 acres and showed general areas of archaeological interest, Beery said at the time.
"The dogs are just one small component of the overall predictive model," city Planning Director Nathan West said Monday.
"There's basically 10 different components of the predictive model that make this come together," West added.
Beery would not be interviewed about the canine project on Monday or Tuesday, saying Monday he would issue a press release on the dogs' findings.
He was not available for comment once the statement was released, which was after City Hall closed to the public on Tuesday.
The area patrolled by the dogs did not include the 75-acre site of the former Rayonier pulp mill east of downtown, Nippon Paper Industries USA west of downtown and an unidentified business.
Rayonier was built on the site of the Elwha Klallam village of Y'ennis, and Nippon was built near the ancient village of Tse-whit-zen.
Representatives of Rayonier and Nippon refused to allow the dogs on their properties when the canines were in Port Angeles from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
Charles downplayed the significance of those refusals, saying remains are already known to exist at those sites.
The canine-survey study area included 2,049 units of 100 square meters each
Results
The results were as follows, according to the release:
• 1,900 units were of "no or insufficient interest," or 92.7 percent of the study area, or 46.35 acres
• 83 units were of "some interest by at least one dog," or 4 percent; 2 acres.
• 56 units were ranked "interest by at least two dogs," or 2.8 percent; 1.4 acres.
• 10 units were ranked "great interest by at least two dogs," 0.5 percent, with no acreage given.
The five-year city archaeologist position and the canine study are funded with $7.5 million in settlement money the state of Washington paid the city when Tse-whit-zen was discovered in August 2003 during construction of the state Department of Transportation's failed graving yard project.
"In conjunction with the settlement agreement, we've been asked to focus on the most innovative technology out there to best ascertain the high, medium and low probability areas where cultural resources are in terms of the shoreline," West said.
Story from Peninsula Daily News (Washington state, USA)
By Paul Gottlieb
Last modified: March 31. 2010 12:27AM
Dogs in shoreline archeological survey stick up noses at most locales, but find some areas interesting
PORT ANGELES -- The four forensic canines who patrolled 50 acres of Port Angeles' waterfront late last year for buried Native American remains indicated 93 percent of the area was of "no or insufficient interest," according to a statement released by the city late Tuesday.
None of the dogs alerted at their top level, defined as "on top of a burial," according to the statement.
"In summary, very few areas studied along the waterfront contained enough historic human remains scent to cause specially trained canines to alert to a statistically accepted level," said the statement, released by city spokeswoman Theresa Pierce.
The study, conducted under a $19,200 contract with the Institute for Canine Forensics of Woodside, Calif., showed the remaining 7 percent of the study area was ranked from "some interest by at least one dog" to "great interest by at least two dogs."
The location of the 7 percent that interested the dogs was not announced in the city statement.
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles said the survey, which she said late Tuesday she had not seen, indicates good news for development interests.
"I think it is good, and hopefully it relieves a lot of the surrounding areas about the potential out there in that aspect," she said.
"Economics is greatly needed in our area."
Charles added that a protocol is in place that ensures the protection of full and isolated remains should they be discovered when development occurs
A shoreline survey conducted last summer by city archeologist Derek Beery showed a medium to high statistical probability that Native American artifacts or remains are present under half of Port Angeles' waterfront.
It encompassed 872 acres and showed general areas of archaeological interest, Beery said at the time.
"The dogs are just one small component of the overall predictive model," city Planning Director Nathan West said Monday.
"There's basically 10 different components of the predictive model that make this come together," West added.
Beery would not be interviewed about the canine project on Monday or Tuesday, saying Monday he would issue a press release on the dogs' findings.
He was not available for comment once the statement was released, which was after City Hall closed to the public on Tuesday.
The area patrolled by the dogs did not include the 75-acre site of the former Rayonier pulp mill east of downtown, Nippon Paper Industries USA west of downtown and an unidentified business.
Rayonier was built on the site of the Elwha Klallam village of Y'ennis, and Nippon was built near the ancient village of Tse-whit-zen.
Representatives of Rayonier and Nippon refused to allow the dogs on their properties when the canines were in Port Angeles from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
Charles downplayed the significance of those refusals, saying remains are already known to exist at those sites.
The canine-survey study area included 2,049 units of 100 square meters each
Results
The results were as follows, according to the release:
• 1,900 units were of "no or insufficient interest," or 92.7 percent of the study area, or 46.35 acres
• 83 units were of "some interest by at least one dog," or 4 percent; 2 acres.
• 56 units were ranked "interest by at least two dogs," or 2.8 percent; 1.4 acres.
• 10 units were ranked "great interest by at least two dogs," 0.5 percent, with no acreage given.
The five-year city archaeologist position and the canine study are funded with $7.5 million in settlement money the state of Washington paid the city when Tse-whit-zen was discovered in August 2003 during construction of the state Department of Transportation's failed graving yard project.
"In conjunction with the settlement agreement, we've been asked to focus on the most innovative technology out there to best ascertain the high, medium and low probability areas where cultural resources are in terms of the shoreline," West said.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Oxford, Alabama is Back in the News Again - Divine Retribution???
Ohmygoddess, this story has more twists and turns than anything Alfred Hitchcock ever wrote! Wow! What I thought was the end - isn't! You're going to love this. I have to get a tiny giggle in here - tee hee hee :)
Prior coverage:
Oxford, Alabama, a Sad Conclusion (March 15, 2010)
Follow-Up: The Oxford Mound (January 31, 2010)
Greed and Lies in Oxford, Alabama (January 22, 2010)
Indian Mound Being Destroyed by Corrupt Politicians (August 4, 2009)
Story from The Anniston Star
Oxford project shut down: Oversight in reporting human remains costs city thousands, delays work
by Patrick McCreless
Staff Writer
Mar 25, 2010
Construction on a multi-million-dollar Oxford sports complex halted a month ago because the discovery of ancient human remains at the site was not reported to the proper authorities — an oversight that so far has forced the city to pay approximately $200,000 to its idle project contractor.
The Oxford City Council briefly discussed the situation during the work session before its regular meeting Tuesday. The council agreed to sit down with all parties involved at 10 a.m. April 5 at City Hall to learn how the oversight occurred and to get the project started again. The parties involved include a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which shut down the project; Taylor Corp., the contractor; University of Alabama archaeologist Robert Clouse, who is overseeing the project; and engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood.
"There's obviously been an oversight and someone's responsible for that oversight," Councilman Mitch Key said Tuesday.
Council President Chris Spurlin said the Corps of Engineers stopped the project around late February because it was not notified about the remains, which were discovered around Jan. 8 at the construction site on Davis Farm across from the Oxford Exchange. The wetlands permit the city obtained to develop the Davis Farm site stipulates the corps must be notified if any remains and/or artifacts are discovered.
Spurlin said the city has had to pay approximately $12,000 a day, except for days of rain, during the shutdown period to Taylor Corp.
Taylor's contract states the city must cover equipment and manpower costs for every day the project is shut down for reasons beyond the construction company's control, he said.
"Every two days, we're paying Taylor Corp. what it would cost for a new police car," Spurlin said.
To date, the city has spent more than $5.9 million on the project, most of it for the purchase of the property.
Mayor Leon Smith, who has told The Star on several occasions that he has been against the sports complex project since it began, has apparently washed his hands of this latest ordeal.
"I'm totally out, myself," Smith said after the Tuesday meeting.
Councilwoman June Reaves said she hoped the project would restart as soon as possible.
"We definitely need it," she said of the complex.
Spurlin said the corps has not budged on its decision to shut down the project because it is waiting on a detailed report from Clouse about when, where and how the remains were found.
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested a timeline of events leading up to, and the discovery of, the human remains that were found on the Davis Farm project," Clouse wrote in a Wednesday e-mail to The Star. "That timeline was submitted. Subsequent to the submittal of the timeline, the Corps of Engineers requested a report on all of the findings of the archaeological monitoring conducted to date on the Davis Farm project. That report is still in production and has not yet been submitted."
Clouse's involvement became significant in recent months because of two contradictory reports on a mound behind the Oxford Exchange that he filed last year with Oxford.
The first report, commissioned by the city, claimed the mound was manmade. The second report, published months later, offered a different opinion, saying the mound was the product of natural forces. Experts around the state, including those with the Alabama Historical Commission, disagreed with the second report and believe the mound is culturally significant.
One of those experts is Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at Jacksonville State University, who has studied American Indian sites in this area for decades. Incidentally, engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood — which the city contracted to apply for its wetlands permit — hired Holstein to conduct the archaeological portion of the permit in 2007.
"As part of the wetlands permit process, archaeology is incorporated," Holstein said. "We told them there were 24 archaeological sites on that parcel of land, including a temple mound and village areas. The Historical Commission concurred, and the city signed off on it."
Holstein claimed earlier this year that someone had bulldozed the temple mound, which may have contained human remains. Clouse and the city claim the mound is still there.
Holstein believes the few remains the city found in January are only the beginning of what will be discovered at the construction site.
"They're going to find more bodies," he said. "(Indians) didn't just bury one person in a large town like that."
Attempts to reach representatives of the Corps of Engineers on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Prior coverage:
Oxford, Alabama, a Sad Conclusion (March 15, 2010)
Follow-Up: The Oxford Mound (January 31, 2010)
Greed and Lies in Oxford, Alabama (January 22, 2010)
Indian Mound Being Destroyed by Corrupt Politicians (August 4, 2009)
Story from The Anniston Star
Oxford project shut down: Oversight in reporting human remains costs city thousands, delays work
by Patrick McCreless
Staff Writer
Mar 25, 2010
The Oxford City Council briefly discussed the situation during the work session before its regular meeting Tuesday. The council agreed to sit down with all parties involved at 10 a.m. April 5 at City Hall to learn how the oversight occurred and to get the project started again. The parties involved include a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which shut down the project; Taylor Corp., the contractor; University of Alabama archaeologist Robert Clouse, who is overseeing the project; and engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood.
"There's obviously been an oversight and someone's responsible for that oversight," Councilman Mitch Key said Tuesday.
Council President Chris Spurlin said the Corps of Engineers stopped the project around late February because it was not notified about the remains, which were discovered around Jan. 8 at the construction site on Davis Farm across from the Oxford Exchange. The wetlands permit the city obtained to develop the Davis Farm site stipulates the corps must be notified if any remains and/or artifacts are discovered.
Spurlin said the city has had to pay approximately $12,000 a day, except for days of rain, during the shutdown period to Taylor Corp.
Taylor's contract states the city must cover equipment and manpower costs for every day the project is shut down for reasons beyond the construction company's control, he said.
"Every two days, we're paying Taylor Corp. what it would cost for a new police car," Spurlin said.
To date, the city has spent more than $5.9 million on the project, most of it for the purchase of the property.
Mayor Leon Smith, who has told The Star on several occasions that he has been against the sports complex project since it began, has apparently washed his hands of this latest ordeal.
"I'm totally out, myself," Smith said after the Tuesday meeting.
Councilwoman June Reaves said she hoped the project would restart as soon as possible.
"We definitely need it," she said of the complex.
Spurlin said the corps has not budged on its decision to shut down the project because it is waiting on a detailed report from Clouse about when, where and how the remains were found.
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested a timeline of events leading up to, and the discovery of, the human remains that were found on the Davis Farm project," Clouse wrote in a Wednesday e-mail to The Star. "That timeline was submitted. Subsequent to the submittal of the timeline, the Corps of Engineers requested a report on all of the findings of the archaeological monitoring conducted to date on the Davis Farm project. That report is still in production and has not yet been submitted."
Clouse's involvement became significant in recent months because of two contradictory reports on a mound behind the Oxford Exchange that he filed last year with Oxford.
The first report, commissioned by the city, claimed the mound was manmade. The second report, published months later, offered a different opinion, saying the mound was the product of natural forces. Experts around the state, including those with the Alabama Historical Commission, disagreed with the second report and believe the mound is culturally significant.
One of those experts is Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at Jacksonville State University, who has studied American Indian sites in this area for decades. Incidentally, engineering firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood — which the city contracted to apply for its wetlands permit — hired Holstein to conduct the archaeological portion of the permit in 2007.
"As part of the wetlands permit process, archaeology is incorporated," Holstein said. "We told them there were 24 archaeological sites on that parcel of land, including a temple mound and village areas. The Historical Commission concurred, and the city signed off on it."
Holstein claimed earlier this year that someone had bulldozed the temple mound, which may have contained human remains. Clouse and the city claim the mound is still there.
Holstein believes the few remains the city found in January are only the beginning of what will be discovered at the construction site.
"They're going to find more bodies," he said. "(Indians) didn't just bury one person in a large town like that."
Attempts to reach representatives of the Corps of Engineers on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Oxford, Alabama: A Sad Conclusion
Oxford Journal
When Scholarship and Tribal Heritage Face Off Against Commerce
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: March 12, 2010
OXFORD, Ala. — Overlooking the Interstate and an outdoor shopping mall here stands a sad little hill, bald but for four bare trees and a scattering of stones.
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: March 12, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
"One Step Beyond" Stuff - Three Suicides in Busted Antiquities Theft Ring
This is just scary and too fricking weird! I do not believe in conspiracy theories or curses. What the heck is going on here? This is just too much for me to believe that these deaths are merely coincidences...
Source in artifact case apparently commits suicide
By PAUL FOY and MIKE STARK (AP) – 5 days ago
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah businessman who worked a two-year sting operation for federal officials investigating looting of American Indian relics across the Southwest has died, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot.
It appears to be the third suicide connected to the case.
Ted Dan Gardiner, an antiquities dealer and former grocery store CEO, shot himself Monday at a home in the Salt Lake City suburb of Holladay, police said.
Gardiner, 52, worked with the FBI and the federal Bureau of Land Management in a sweeping case that led to felony charges against 26 people in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
Gardiner's father and his son told The Associated Press on Tuesday that they could not explain his death. Federal authorities declined comment.
Two defendants — a Santa Fe, N.M., salesman and a prominent Blanding, Utah, physician, James Redd — committed suicide after their arrests in June.
Gardiner offered in 2006 to help federal authorities set up what turned into a long-running sting operation in the black-market trade in prehistoric relics. Court papers say he was typically paid $7,500 a month for secretly recording transactions across the Southwest for more than two years.
Gardiner provided prosecutors with hundreds of hours of video showing suspects admitting they took artifacts from federal and tribal lands, according to court documents.
The case broke open in June when about 150 federal agents descended on the Four Corners region. In the small town of Blanding, Utah, agents raided homes of 16 people, including a math teacher and brother of the local sheriff. Most were handcuffed and shackled as agents confiscated stone pipes, woven sandals, spear and arrow heads, seed jars and decorated pottery.
The arrests prompted outcry from southern Utah residents — many claiming federal officials were heavy-handed. One man served a year in federal prison for threatening to track Gardiner down and beat him with a baseball bat.
Two of the 26 defendants — Redd's wife and daughter — pleaded guilty last year. The rest pleaded not guilty.
Gardiner was still being paid for helping agents prepare for court cases, and he was to receive more money if he had testified. Gardiner had received $162,000 in payments plus expenses, for a total of $224,000, when most of the arrests were made in June.
Federal authorities and Gardiner, who also ran an artifact authentication business, have insisted he was never in trouble with the law.
Unified Police Lt. Don Hutson says a preliminary autopsy shows Gardiner's gunshot wound was probably self-inflicted. An officer fired a round during a standoff Monday night, but it didn't hit Gardiner.
Deputies were called to Gardiner's home Saturday night on a report that he was suicidal, Hutson said. Gardiner's gun was taken away and he was transported to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. Gardiner used another gun Monday night.
Gardiner's father, Dan Gardiner, declined further comment Tuesday, handing over the phone to one of Ted Gardiner's sons, who said, "We don't know any more than you." The son declined to give his name.
Ted Gardiner ran his father's business, Dan's Foods Inc., for a decade before selling the grocery chain to another company in 2000. The sale brought the family millions of dollars, but Ted Gardiner also had financial problems.
In 2007, he was dunned for more than $400,000 by federal and state tax authorities, according to public records. Gardiner, who spoke to the AP in a series of interviews last summer, said the debt was mostly a result of the proceeds he received from the sale of a Dan's Foods building in Park City.
Federal agents and the U.S. attorney's office refused to confirm that the Ted Gardiner who died Monday was the same Ted Gardiner who worked the artifacts case. He shared the same name, date of birth and address of the man identified in court documents as the government's informant.
"We have never talked about the source. No comment," said Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Salt Lake City.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
More -
Informant's death throws artifacts case into doubt
By PAUL FOY (AP) – 4 days ago
SALT LAKE CITY — The death of a lone undercover operative in a federal crackdown on the black market for ancient American Indian artifacts has thrown plans for a first trial into doubt.
U.S. Attorney for Colorado David Gaouette says he's reviewing the evidence left for a trial that was to start March 29.
Antiquities dealer Robert B. Knowlton is accused of selling a prehistoric pipe and two knives to the Utah businessman who secretly recorded hundreds of hours of videotaped sales with 26 defendants in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Gaouette says he's reviewing ways to use the videotape without live testimony from Ted Gardiner, who shot himself Monday after a police standoff. Gaouette wasn't certain if Knowlton's trial will start as scheduled.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
More -
From The Los Angeles Times
Informant in federal Indian artifacts case is dead
Antiquities dealer Ted Gardiner shoots himself in a Utah home, apparently the third suicide among people connected to the case that resulted in 24 arrests last year.
March 04, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi
Reporting from Denver — An antiquities dealer who was an informant for a sweeping federal case against people who allegedly looted Indian artifacts has killed himself, police said, apparently the third suicide among people connected to the case.
Ted Gardiner, 52, allegedly shot himself Monday night as a SWAT team headed to the house where he was staying in Holladay, Utah. Gardiner had spent 2 1/2 years working as an undercover informant for federal authorities investigating illegal trafficking of artifacts in the Southwest.
Prosecutors last year indicted 24 people on charges of illegally excavating and selling the items.
Shortly after the arrests in June, suspect Dr. James Redd killed himself. Weeks later, another defendant, antiquities dealer Steven Shrader, also committed suicide.
"When the other two suicides occurred, it bothered him deeply," Gardiner's son Dustin told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Police said they were called Saturday night to the house where Gardiner was staying because he was threatening suicide. He was taken to a hospital, spent the night and was released.
But Monday at 6 p.m., he grabbed a gun and retreated to his room in the house, alarming his housemates, who again called authorities. Gardiner fired on the first officer who arrived, then shot himself, said police Lt. Don Hutson.
Source in artifact case apparently commits suicide
By PAUL FOY and MIKE STARK (AP) – 5 days ago
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah businessman who worked a two-year sting operation for federal officials investigating looting of American Indian relics across the Southwest has died, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot.
It appears to be the third suicide connected to the case.
Ted Dan Gardiner, an antiquities dealer and former grocery store CEO, shot himself Monday at a home in the Salt Lake City suburb of Holladay, police said.
Gardiner, 52, worked with the FBI and the federal Bureau of Land Management in a sweeping case that led to felony charges against 26 people in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
Gardiner's father and his son told The Associated Press on Tuesday that they could not explain his death. Federal authorities declined comment.
Two defendants — a Santa Fe, N.M., salesman and a prominent Blanding, Utah, physician, James Redd — committed suicide after their arrests in June.
Gardiner offered in 2006 to help federal authorities set up what turned into a long-running sting operation in the black-market trade in prehistoric relics. Court papers say he was typically paid $7,500 a month for secretly recording transactions across the Southwest for more than two years.
Gardiner provided prosecutors with hundreds of hours of video showing suspects admitting they took artifacts from federal and tribal lands, according to court documents.
The case broke open in June when about 150 federal agents descended on the Four Corners region. In the small town of Blanding, Utah, agents raided homes of 16 people, including a math teacher and brother of the local sheriff. Most were handcuffed and shackled as agents confiscated stone pipes, woven sandals, spear and arrow heads, seed jars and decorated pottery.
The arrests prompted outcry from southern Utah residents — many claiming federal officials were heavy-handed. One man served a year in federal prison for threatening to track Gardiner down and beat him with a baseball bat.
Two of the 26 defendants — Redd's wife and daughter — pleaded guilty last year. The rest pleaded not guilty.
Gardiner was still being paid for helping agents prepare for court cases, and he was to receive more money if he had testified. Gardiner had received $162,000 in payments plus expenses, for a total of $224,000, when most of the arrests were made in June.
Federal authorities and Gardiner, who also ran an artifact authentication business, have insisted he was never in trouble with the law.
Unified Police Lt. Don Hutson says a preliminary autopsy shows Gardiner's gunshot wound was probably self-inflicted. An officer fired a round during a standoff Monday night, but it didn't hit Gardiner.
Deputies were called to Gardiner's home Saturday night on a report that he was suicidal, Hutson said. Gardiner's gun was taken away and he was transported to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. Gardiner used another gun Monday night.
Gardiner's father, Dan Gardiner, declined further comment Tuesday, handing over the phone to one of Ted Gardiner's sons, who said, "We don't know any more than you." The son declined to give his name.
Ted Gardiner ran his father's business, Dan's Foods Inc., for a decade before selling the grocery chain to another company in 2000. The sale brought the family millions of dollars, but Ted Gardiner also had financial problems.
In 2007, he was dunned for more than $400,000 by federal and state tax authorities, according to public records. Gardiner, who spoke to the AP in a series of interviews last summer, said the debt was mostly a result of the proceeds he received from the sale of a Dan's Foods building in Park City.
Federal agents and the U.S. attorney's office refused to confirm that the Ted Gardiner who died Monday was the same Ted Gardiner who worked the artifacts case. He shared the same name, date of birth and address of the man identified in court documents as the government's informant.
"We have never talked about the source. No comment," said Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Salt Lake City.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
More -
Informant's death throws artifacts case into doubt
By PAUL FOY (AP) – 4 days ago
SALT LAKE CITY — The death of a lone undercover operative in a federal crackdown on the black market for ancient American Indian artifacts has thrown plans for a first trial into doubt.
U.S. Attorney for Colorado David Gaouette says he's reviewing the evidence left for a trial that was to start March 29.
Antiquities dealer Robert B. Knowlton is accused of selling a prehistoric pipe and two knives to the Utah businessman who secretly recorded hundreds of hours of videotaped sales with 26 defendants in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Gaouette says he's reviewing ways to use the videotape without live testimony from Ted Gardiner, who shot himself Monday after a police standoff. Gaouette wasn't certain if Knowlton's trial will start as scheduled.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
More -
From The Los Angeles Times
Informant in federal Indian artifacts case is dead
Antiquities dealer Ted Gardiner shoots himself in a Utah home, apparently the third suicide among people connected to the case that resulted in 24 arrests last year.
March 04, 2010|By Nicholas Riccardi
Reporting from Denver — An antiquities dealer who was an informant for a sweeping federal case against people who allegedly looted Indian artifacts has killed himself, police said, apparently the third suicide among people connected to the case.
Ted Gardiner, 52, allegedly shot himself Monday night as a SWAT team headed to the house where he was staying in Holladay, Utah. Gardiner had spent 2 1/2 years working as an undercover informant for federal authorities investigating illegal trafficking of artifacts in the Southwest.
Prosecutors last year indicted 24 people on charges of illegally excavating and selling the items.
Shortly after the arrests in June, suspect Dr. James Redd killed himself. Weeks later, another defendant, antiquities dealer Steven Shrader, also committed suicide.
"When the other two suicides occurred, it bothered him deeply," Gardiner's son Dustin told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Police said they were called Saturday night to the house where Gardiner was staying because he was threatening suicide. He was taken to a hospital, spent the night and was released.
But Monday at 6 p.m., he grabbed a gun and retreated to his room in the house, alarming his housemates, who again called authorities. Gardiner fired on the first officer who arrived, then shot himself, said police Lt. Don Hutson.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Follow-up: The Oxford Mound
Note to self: NEVER move to Alabama, the Land of the Liars and the Home of the Bribe.
Story from the Anniston Star:
UA professor defends claims about Oxford mound
by Patrick McCreless, Staff Writer
Janury 28, 2009
OXFORD — A University of Alabama archaeologist Wednesday said more investigation had led him to believe natural forces created a pile of stones that an earlier report bearing his signature said had been erected by humans hundreds of years ago.
The stone mound was at the center of a dispute last year that saw the City of Oxford back away from plans to level the mound to use dirt beneath it for fill at a construction site at the nearby Oxford Exchange.
Robert Clouse, director of the Office of Archaeological Research at the University of Alabama and the director of the University of Alabama Museums, said in an e-mail to The Star "the discrepancy between the two reports is the result of additional information gathered from actual on-site review of the make-up of the mound and additional research into the geological events surrounding the gradual disintegration of the makeup of the mountain."
A team from UA excavated a portion of the mound in early in 2009, and concluded in their report it was almost certainly made by humans. Clouse reportedly supervised the team's work, and signed their report. It said the chance of a stone mound of that size being created by random natural phenomena is unlikely.
The report was written to give the city an indication of the potential archaeological significance of the stone mound before crews began work at the site.
Attempts Wednesday to reach Clouse by phone and e-mail for further information or a copy of the second report were unsuccessful. The first report was sent to the Alabama Historical Commission. State Archaeologist Stacye Hathorn, who works for the commission, said she has not seen a second report, but has heard "rumors" that it exists. She said no law requires the university archaeologists to send the commission a copy.
During a Tuesday meeting of the Oxford City Council, Clouse said the Oxford Exchange mound was likely created by erosion and other natural forces through the course of approximately 500 million years.
"It has gradually decayed," Clouse said during the meeting. "(The mound) is the original core of that mountain."
Clouse has no degree in geology and presented no opinion from a certified geologist at the meeting.
Oxford Mayor Leon Smith made a similar claim in July 2009.
When Hathorn was told of Clouse's comments at the Tuesday meeting, her first response was laughter.
"How did the pottery get under there?" she asked. "I don't think there's any chance that it's natural. There may be some boulders that were up there naturally that were added to, to make the mound."
Hathorn said Clouse in the past verbally told her his revised opinions about the origins of the mound. She said she laughed at the claim then, too.
Kelly Gregg, a geology professor at Jacksonville State University, has visited the site in question and said there is little chance it was created by natural forces.
"In my opinion, someone piled those stones up there," Gregg said during a phone interview Wednesday.
Gregg said the rocks on the mound were all of similar size that could be easily carried by humans. "If it had just been erosion, there also would have been rocks the size of cars too," he said.
During the Tuesday meeting, Clouse also refuted a claim made by Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at JSU, that another American Indian mound at the nearby historic Davis Farm site had been recently removed. The mound is adjacent to a site where Oxford is constructing a multi-million dollar sports complex.
"I know the site," Holstein said. "I've worked it 25 years or more."
City officials have repeatedly stated the Davis Farm mound has not been disturbed [despite photographic evidence to the contrary]. The city hired UA archaeologists to oversee the construction and ensure no American Indian sites were disturbed. Clouse is heading the archaeology team.
Earlier this month, the archaeologists uncovered the apparent remains of an ancient American Indian. Clouse said all proper procedures were followed regarding the discovery and the remains were reburied and would not be disturbed again.
"We will spend whatever is necessary to be sure we're not infringing on some remains we're not supposed to," said Fred Denney, the city's project manager.
Denney said so far the city has received an invoice for approximately $25,000 for the services of the UA archaeologists at the sports complex construction site.
"We'll spend that if not more in the future," Denney said.
He added the city paid UA archaeologists approximately $60,000 to conduct the 2009 survey of the site behind the Oxford Exchange, which he referred to as a hill and not an Indian mound.
Ben Thomas, director of programs at the Archaeological Institute of America and a professor of archaeology at the Berklee College of Music, said there are many universities around the country, like the University of Alabama, which do contractual archaeological work for companies and governments. He said such work can be large revenue generators.
"If a university has an archaeological department that can do this kind of work, then yes, it can be a significant revenue source," Thomas said.
He noted how such funding is distributed and used varies from school to school. Information on how much UA charges for archaeological work or how the money is used could not be obtained by deadline Wednesday.
When asked if there is an ethical dilemma between universities that may profit from archaeological contracts and their need to provide objective research data, Thomas said there always is a chance for corruption in the system but has never heard of any rampant abuse.
"I don't know if that has been a huge ethical issue," Thomas said. "But archaeologists are human. I would expect as an archaeologist, for other archaeologists to act under respected codes and practices."
Holstein said JSU archaeologists could have conducted the work at both sites for much less than Oxford paid UA. He said JSU teams could have performed a full study of the Oxford Exchange mound for less than $15,000 and the observation work at the sports center construction site for around $10,000.
"We're not here to make a profit," Holstein said. "We charge just enough to pay salaries. Plus, we're right here. The city has got to pay (UA) more to come out here." [One must ask - WHY?]
Story from the Anniston Star:
UA professor defends claims about Oxford mound
by Patrick McCreless, Staff Writer
Janury 28, 2009
OXFORD — A University of Alabama archaeologist Wednesday said more investigation had led him to believe natural forces created a pile of stones that an earlier report bearing his signature said had been erected by humans hundreds of years ago.
The stone mound was at the center of a dispute last year that saw the City of Oxford back away from plans to level the mound to use dirt beneath it for fill at a construction site at the nearby Oxford Exchange.
Robert Clouse, director of the Office of Archaeological Research at the University of Alabama and the director of the University of Alabama Museums, said in an e-mail to The Star "the discrepancy between the two reports is the result of additional information gathered from actual on-site review of the make-up of the mound and additional research into the geological events surrounding the gradual disintegration of the makeup of the mountain."
A team from UA excavated a portion of the mound in early in 2009, and concluded in their report it was almost certainly made by humans. Clouse reportedly supervised the team's work, and signed their report. It said the chance of a stone mound of that size being created by random natural phenomena is unlikely.
The report was written to give the city an indication of the potential archaeological significance of the stone mound before crews began work at the site.
Attempts Wednesday to reach Clouse by phone and e-mail for further information or a copy of the second report were unsuccessful. The first report was sent to the Alabama Historical Commission. State Archaeologist Stacye Hathorn, who works for the commission, said she has not seen a second report, but has heard "rumors" that it exists. She said no law requires the university archaeologists to send the commission a copy.
During a Tuesday meeting of the Oxford City Council, Clouse said the Oxford Exchange mound was likely created by erosion and other natural forces through the course of approximately 500 million years.
"It has gradually decayed," Clouse said during the meeting. "(The mound) is the original core of that mountain."
Clouse has no degree in geology and presented no opinion from a certified geologist at the meeting.
Oxford Mayor Leon Smith made a similar claim in July 2009.
When Hathorn was told of Clouse's comments at the Tuesday meeting, her first response was laughter.
"How did the pottery get under there?" she asked. "I don't think there's any chance that it's natural. There may be some boulders that were up there naturally that were added to, to make the mound."
Hathorn said Clouse in the past verbally told her his revised opinions about the origins of the mound. She said she laughed at the claim then, too.
Kelly Gregg, a geology professor at Jacksonville State University, has visited the site in question and said there is little chance it was created by natural forces.
"In my opinion, someone piled those stones up there," Gregg said during a phone interview Wednesday.
Gregg said the rocks on the mound were all of similar size that could be easily carried by humans. "If it had just been erosion, there also would have been rocks the size of cars too," he said.
During the Tuesday meeting, Clouse also refuted a claim made by Harry Holstein, professor of archaeology and anthropology at JSU, that another American Indian mound at the nearby historic Davis Farm site had been recently removed. The mound is adjacent to a site where Oxford is constructing a multi-million dollar sports complex.
"I know the site," Holstein said. "I've worked it 25 years or more."
City officials have repeatedly stated the Davis Farm mound has not been disturbed [despite photographic evidence to the contrary]. The city hired UA archaeologists to oversee the construction and ensure no American Indian sites were disturbed. Clouse is heading the archaeology team.
Earlier this month, the archaeologists uncovered the apparent remains of an ancient American Indian. Clouse said all proper procedures were followed regarding the discovery and the remains were reburied and would not be disturbed again.
"We will spend whatever is necessary to be sure we're not infringing on some remains we're not supposed to," said Fred Denney, the city's project manager.
Denney said so far the city has received an invoice for approximately $25,000 for the services of the UA archaeologists at the sports complex construction site.
"We'll spend that if not more in the future," Denney said.
He added the city paid UA archaeologists approximately $60,000 to conduct the 2009 survey of the site behind the Oxford Exchange, which he referred to as a hill and not an Indian mound.
Ben Thomas, director of programs at the Archaeological Institute of America and a professor of archaeology at the Berklee College of Music, said there are many universities around the country, like the University of Alabama, which do contractual archaeological work for companies and governments. He said such work can be large revenue generators.
"If a university has an archaeological department that can do this kind of work, then yes, it can be a significant revenue source," Thomas said.
He noted how such funding is distributed and used varies from school to school. Information on how much UA charges for archaeological work or how the money is used could not be obtained by deadline Wednesday.
When asked if there is an ethical dilemma between universities that may profit from archaeological contracts and their need to provide objective research data, Thomas said there always is a chance for corruption in the system but has never heard of any rampant abuse.
"I don't know if that has been a huge ethical issue," Thomas said. "But archaeologists are human. I would expect as an archaeologist, for other archaeologists to act under respected codes and practices."
Holstein said JSU archaeologists could have conducted the work at both sites for much less than Oxford paid UA. He said JSU teams could have performed a full study of the Oxford Exchange mound for less than $15,000 and the observation work at the sports center construction site for around $10,000.
"We're not here to make a profit," Holstein said. "We charge just enough to pay salaries. Plus, we're right here. The city has got to pay (UA) more to come out here." [One must ask - WHY?]
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Indian Mound Being Destroyed by Corrupt Politicians
Where are the safeguards against the CDA awarding contracts in exchange for bribes? And as per its usual mode of operation, Walmart, in the guise of Sam's Club, is at the heart of the matter. Unbelievable!
Posted at the Institute for Southern Studies
Alabama city destroying ancient Indian mound for Sam's Club
By Sue Sturgis on August 4, 2009 8:43 AM
City leaders in Oxford, Ala. have approved the destruction of a 1,500-year-old Native American ceremonial mound and are using the dirt as fill for a new Sam's Club, a retail warehouse store operated by Wal-Mart.
A University of Alabama archaeology report commissioned by the city found that the site was historically significant as the largest of several ancient stone and earthen mounds throughout the Choccolocco Valley. But Oxford Mayor Leon Smith -- whose campaign has financial connections to firms involved in the $2.6 million no-bid project -- insists the mound is not man-made and was used only to "send smoke signals."
"The City of Oxford and its archaeological advisers have completed a review and evaluation of a stone mound that was identified near Boiling Springs, Calhoun County, Alabama, and have concluded that the mound is the result of natural phenomena and does not meet the eligibility criteria for the Natural [sic] Register of Historic Places," according to a news release Smith issued last week.
In fact, the report does not conclude the mound is a result of "natural phenomena" but says very clearly it is of "cultural origin." And while the University's Office of Archaeological Research does not believe the site qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, the Alabama Historical Commission disagrees, noting that the structure meets at least three criteria for inclusion: its "association with a broad pattern of history," architecture "embodying distinctive characteristics," and for the information it might yield to scholars.
The site is also significant to Native Americans. The Woodland and Mississippian cultures that inhabited the Southeast and Midwest before Europeans arrived constructed and used these mounds for various rituals, which may have included funerals. There are concerns that human remains may be present at the site, though none have been found yet.
United South and Eastern Tribes, a nonprofit coalition of 25 federally recognized tribes from Maine to Texas, passed a resolution in 2007 calling for the preservation of such structures, which it calls "prayer in stone." Native Americans have held protests against the mound's demolition, and last week someone altered a sign for the Leon Smith Parkway that runs past the development to read "Indian Mound Pkwy."
A local resident named Johnny Rollins told the Anniston Star how his Native American grandmother taught him that when she died he could "go to that mountain" to talk to her:
"It seems like it's taking part of you away," he said of the demolition. "I always felt I had ties to that there."
Since the media began reporting on the site's demolition, city officials have revised their story and are now claiming that dirt from the mound is not being used as fill, despite earlier statements to the contrary. But eyewitnesses say they have seen workers hauling dirt from the mound to the Sam's Club development.
"I mean really, I went there, saw the giant trucks deliver the earth straight from the mound to the construction site, and I still can't believe what they are doing," writes the seventh-generation Alabamian behind the blog Deep Fried Kudzu. She shared the photo above showing roads for construction vehicles now cut to the top of the mound and has other photos and her story of visiting the site at the website.'
Deepening the development's controversy is how the contracting has been handled. The force behind the project is Oxford's Commercial Development Authority, a public board that uses taxpayer money to lure businesses to the area. The CDA owns the land where the mound is located.
Alabama law exempts CDAs from bid requirements, which means contracts can go to whomever the board chooses. A recent Anniston Star investigative series about the CDA revealed among other things that the group has awarded nearly $9 million in contracts since 1994 but has taken bids for none of them.
The newspaper also detailed the financial ties between the CDA, firms it does business with, and Mayor Smith's political campaign.
For example, the $2.6 million contract for preparing the Sam's Club site went to Oxford-based Taylor Corp., with the money for that coming in part from the sale of city property to Georgia-based developers Abernathy and Timberlake. Taylor Corp. owner Tommy Taylor, who has received thousands of dollars in city contracts for non-CDA work, donated $1,000 to Smith in 2004 and $1,000 in 2008, while Abernathy and Timberlake donated $1,000 to Smith's re-election campaign in 2004, the paper reports.
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