MoDOT Crews Disturb Burial Site At Mound Park

MoDOT
Crews Disturb Burial Site At Mound Park

Last
week, MoDOT crews were working to fix a drainage problem along US 61 near Mound
Park in Clark County.

 “We
made minor ditch improvements in the past, yet during significant rain events
water continued to spread onto both the shoulder and driving lane of southbound
US 61, creating a safety issue,” explained MoDOT Assistant District Engineer
Dave Silvester.  This time, MoDOT was making a permanent fix so water
would stay off the road.  

Mound Park, a
pull off owned and maintained by MoDOT, got its name because it and adjacent
highway right of way contain a number of small, preserved prehistoric mounds.
  All of the mounds are relatively small, and they vary from being clearly
identifiable to very subtle.

“One end of
one mound located immediately along the highway drainage ditch was impacted
while we were making repairs to the ditch,” Silvester said.  MoDOT
archeologists inspected the site and examined the dirt removed and found no
artifacts or remains at that time.  Archaeologists will continue to
monitor further activities at the site.  

“We regret we
impacted the site, and we plan to construct a permanent border around this
mound to protect it from eroding into the ditch,” Silvester explained.  

MoDOT is
notifying a number of Native American tribes of the work that was done at the
site as well as the planned work.