Ancient Remains Unearthed Near Pullman
A gravel pit excavation on the Moscow-Pullman road has revealed the skeletal remains and tools of an Indigenous person, sparking local efforts to preserve the site's history.
A stone pestle and other stone tools were found with part of the skull, part of the right jaw, and several other bones of the skeleton of an Indian in the earth of a gravel pit seven miles from Pullman on the Moscow-Pullman road when workmen were excavating for a rock crusher recently. A movement is afoot to add the relics to the Indian life exhibits of the State College of Washington museum.
“A stone pestle and other stone tools were found with part of the skull... of an Indian.”
The discovery of ancestral remains during routine infrastructure work is a recurring tension between historical preservation and development in the Palouse region. Today, such findings involve mandatory consultation with tribal nations under NAGPRA, a significant evolution from the 1923 practice of simply adding such items to a university exhibit.
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