Mission Creek Bridge Burial Recovery Project Makes Progress

The recovery efforts at a Fond Du Lac neighborhood cemetery are complete - moving ahead the project to address the Mission Creek Bridge that crosses the waterway near the St. Louis River at the far western-edge of Duluth.  The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) and the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) - in consultation with the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa recently notified the Minnesota Department of Transportation that their work is finished.

A project to replace flood-damaged Mission Creek Bridge was halted in May 2017 when MNDOT uncovered burial remains in the historic cemetery that borders the work area.  Since that time, project partners and contractors have worked together to respectfully complete burial recovery efforts.  The recovery took a leap ahead in May 2019 when the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa took the lead on the efforts, doubling the size of the crew and instigating an aggressive plan.

So what are the next steps now that the recovery is finished?  According to MNDOT, contractors will work to return soils to the central cemetery slope, officially define the cemetery boundaries, and repatriate remains and burial related items.  They will also work with a landscape architect who will help develop the cemeteries final design.  Once that is finished, MNDOT will restart the project development process to address the Mission Creek Bridge.