Post by Okwes on Jan 19, 2008 16:52:44 GMT -5
Developer must repair, protect Indian mounds
Tire ruts scar ancient figures at Pabst Farms
By AMY RINARD
arinard@journalsentinel.com
Summit - State officials have ordered Pabst Farms developers to repair and better protect American Indian effigy mounds near a large construction site after work crews damaged the panther-shaped burial sites.
Pabst Farms
Photo/William J. Lizdas
Pat Manders, who lives near the Pabst Farms property, notified state and local authorities of the damage done to the mounds.
Tire ruts are visible in an American Indian mound on the Pabst Farms property south of I-94. The mounds have now been surrounded by protective fencing.
Recent Coverage
10/15/07: Gould: Pabst Farms harvests dismay
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10/5/07: Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future
10/2/07: Close vote advances freeway funding
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Buy a link hereWorkers put up fencing Wednesday along the edges of the three earthen mounds on land that Pabst Farms Development owns east of the site of the Aurora hospital under construction at the southeast corner of I-94 and Highway 67.
Archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society inspected the mounds Tuesday and ordered the fencing to prevent further damage.
"We responded immediately," Dan Warren, development manager for Pabst Farms, said Wednesday.
The mounds were damaged by crews cutting brush, Pabst Farms spokesman Thad Nation said.
A vehicle was driven over the mounds, causing deep tire ruts that are clearly visible through the snow.
The mounds are near the path of a future road that will link the Aurora site with an area to the east along county Highway DR that Pabst Farms plans for future development.
State Archaeologist John Broihahn, who was among the historical society officials to assess the damage to the mounds, said the three mounds at the site are 800 to 1,400 years old.
It is not known what tribe or nation of American Indians built the burial mounds, he said, because little is known of tribal identities during that period of Wisconsin history.
Two of the mounds are in the shape of panthers, Broihahn said. One, in the shape of a panther lying on its stomach, is 20 to 30 feet wide and about 40 feet long. The other is in the shape of a panther lying on its side and is about 12 to 15 feet wide and about 100 feet long. The third mound is linear, about 75 feet long and 10 to 15 feet wide, he said.
Few mounds remain
They are among the last remaining American Indian burial mounds in the state, and their preservation is a high priority for the historical society, Broihahn said.
"We're dealing with a small number of original mounds," he said, noting that 80% of the American Indian mounds in the state have been destroyed.
"Effigy mounds are quite unusual."
In addition to their historical significance, the mounds are human burial sites held sacred by their builders and must be treated with respect, Broihahn said.
The ruts in the mounds were "something that shouldn't happen," he said.
But, he said, he and others who inspected the site concluded that the damage was not intentional but rather a consequence of workers not being aware of the need to protect the surface of the mounds.
Pabst Farms officials were told any future brush cutting on the mounds must be done by hand, Nation said.
Historical society officials will prepare a plan for repairing and preventing future damage to the mounds, Broihahn said. The plan, to be implemented in spring, will call for filling in the ruts and planting deep-rooted prairie grasses to prevent further damage to the mound surface, he said.
Pabst Farms officials are prepared to comply fully with whatever plan the state orders, Nation said.
"We recognize what they're saying and will take whatever remedial steps they prescribe," he said.
Financial penalties possible
Under state law, financial penalties may be imposed on those responsible for damaging American Indian mounds.
Broihahn said imposition of such a penalty is a long process and no determination on it has been made yet. "It's something we'll talk about," he said.
The area of the mounds is in an environmental corridor of the Pabst Farms development that has long been identified for preservation in development plans, Summit Planner/Administrator Henry Elling said.
Historical society officials approved the plans for the road to run through the mounds area.
The road, with a 66-foot right of way, will be a town road and does not come close to the mounds, Elling said.
But Pat Manders, who lives near the mounds and who reported the damage to local and state officials, said he does not believe a road should be built though the area of the mounds because the site was special and sacred to American Indians.
"I think it's important that we show some respect for that," he said.
Tire ruts scar ancient figures at Pabst Farms
By AMY RINARD
arinard@journalsentinel.com
Summit - State officials have ordered Pabst Farms developers to repair and better protect American Indian effigy mounds near a large construction site after work crews damaged the panther-shaped burial sites.
Pabst Farms
Photo/William J. Lizdas
Pat Manders, who lives near the Pabst Farms property, notified state and local authorities of the damage done to the mounds.
Tire ruts are visible in an American Indian mound on the Pabst Farms property south of I-94. The mounds have now been surrounded by protective fencing.
Recent Coverage
10/15/07: Gould: Pabst Farms harvests dismay
10/6/07: Is Pabst Farms a city unto itself?
10/6/07: Builder drops Pabst Farms
10/5/07: Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future
10/2/07: Close vote advances freeway funding
Advertisement
Buy a link hereWorkers put up fencing Wednesday along the edges of the three earthen mounds on land that Pabst Farms Development owns east of the site of the Aurora hospital under construction at the southeast corner of I-94 and Highway 67.
Archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society inspected the mounds Tuesday and ordered the fencing to prevent further damage.
"We responded immediately," Dan Warren, development manager for Pabst Farms, said Wednesday.
The mounds were damaged by crews cutting brush, Pabst Farms spokesman Thad Nation said.
A vehicle was driven over the mounds, causing deep tire ruts that are clearly visible through the snow.
The mounds are near the path of a future road that will link the Aurora site with an area to the east along county Highway DR that Pabst Farms plans for future development.
State Archaeologist John Broihahn, who was among the historical society officials to assess the damage to the mounds, said the three mounds at the site are 800 to 1,400 years old.
It is not known what tribe or nation of American Indians built the burial mounds, he said, because little is known of tribal identities during that period of Wisconsin history.
Two of the mounds are in the shape of panthers, Broihahn said. One, in the shape of a panther lying on its stomach, is 20 to 30 feet wide and about 40 feet long. The other is in the shape of a panther lying on its side and is about 12 to 15 feet wide and about 100 feet long. The third mound is linear, about 75 feet long and 10 to 15 feet wide, he said.
Few mounds remain
They are among the last remaining American Indian burial mounds in the state, and their preservation is a high priority for the historical society, Broihahn said.
"We're dealing with a small number of original mounds," he said, noting that 80% of the American Indian mounds in the state have been destroyed.
"Effigy mounds are quite unusual."
In addition to their historical significance, the mounds are human burial sites held sacred by their builders and must be treated with respect, Broihahn said.
The ruts in the mounds were "something that shouldn't happen," he said.
But, he said, he and others who inspected the site concluded that the damage was not intentional but rather a consequence of workers not being aware of the need to protect the surface of the mounds.
Pabst Farms officials were told any future brush cutting on the mounds must be done by hand, Nation said.
Historical society officials will prepare a plan for repairing and preventing future damage to the mounds, Broihahn said. The plan, to be implemented in spring, will call for filling in the ruts and planting deep-rooted prairie grasses to prevent further damage to the mound surface, he said.
Pabst Farms officials are prepared to comply fully with whatever plan the state orders, Nation said.
"We recognize what they're saying and will take whatever remedial steps they prescribe," he said.
Financial penalties possible
Under state law, financial penalties may be imposed on those responsible for damaging American Indian mounds.
Broihahn said imposition of such a penalty is a long process and no determination on it has been made yet. "It's something we'll talk about," he said.
The area of the mounds is in an environmental corridor of the Pabst Farms development that has long been identified for preservation in development plans, Summit Planner/Administrator Henry Elling said.
Historical society officials approved the plans for the road to run through the mounds area.
The road, with a 66-foot right of way, will be a town road and does not come close to the mounds, Elling said.
But Pat Manders, who lives near the mounds and who reported the damage to local and state officials, said he does not believe a road should be built though the area of the mounds because the site was special and sacred to American Indians.
"I think it's important that we show some respect for that," he said.