23-05-2025
Indigenous bones, found years ago in Wisconsin and never reported, recently tossed in river
State officials are investigating an incident in western Wisconsin in which ancient Indigenous human remains were discovered more than a decade ago, but never reported and recently thrown into the Black River.
Authorities became aware of the incident last week when Ryan Howell, an archeologist for the Army Corps of Engineers who lives in Wisconsin, was notified.
Howell said he's not sure why he was contacted, but he does help run a very popular Facebook group called Wisconsin Archeological Artifacts, at which Wisconsin residents share photos and discuss ancient artifacts discovered in the state. He said once he knew about the situation, he was obligated to pass it on to authorities.
'There is a state law that outlines the proper legal procedures and what people should do in these unfortunate events,' Howell said. 'But the law is obscure and few people, including most local law enforcement, are trained to deal with the situation. … Sometimes they just start calling any archaeologist or tribal office they can find looking for help.'
More: Online archeological group deciphers arrowheads, artifacts found regularly in Wisconsin
More: The Milwaukee Public Museum houses 1,600 Native American remains. Will they be returned to their tribes?
La Crosse County Sheriff's Deputy Nate Cibulka said the remains were discovered about 13 to 15 years ago by a man whose family had owned land in the Holmen area. The remains apparently were found on public land at a state boat landing near the Black River.
The man kept the remains through the years, and then discarded them.
'They were very fragile and falling apart, so they threw them into the river,' said Cibulka, who talked to the man who had them. 'That, obviously, wasn't the best option.'
It's unclear if charges, citation or a fine will be filed, so the Journal Sentinel is not naming the man.
Taylor Lambrigger, burial sites coordinator with the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, said property owners might not report a finding on their property because they don't know the law, or they're worried they'll get in trouble. She strongly encourages anyone who finds them to reach out to local law enforcement. She said there are no penalties for people discovering ancient human remains accidentally, but if someone knows they have an ancient burial site on their property they need to contact her office before beginning any building projects.
If the process is followed correctly, the discovered remains are eventually given to tribal nations within Wisconsin today who have reburial sites for their ancestors on tribal lands.
Howell said the bones were likely more than 500 years old. He said discoveries like this are common in Wisconsin, especially near or in populated areas, such as Milwaukee or Green Bay, because the best places to settle now also were the best places to settle historically. In western Wisconsin, where the discovery was made, the area had several Ho-Chunk villages.
If the process is followed correctly the discovered remains are eventually given to tribal nations within Wisconsin today who have reburial sites for their ancestors on tribal lands.
More: Ancient Menominee remains, 1,200 years old, have returned home after spending decades in boxes at University of Michigan
Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Indigenous bones found in Wisconsin, kept, and then tossed in river
