Skeleton could date to pioneer era
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) - A backhoe operator recently turned up an unmarked grave at a construction site in Springfield.
Now anthropologists from the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History are piecing together clues to learn more about the bones.
They say the skeleton is male, and a row of old-fashioned square-cut nails found near the skeleton indicates the burial probably happened before the nails went out of general use around 1920.
The site was once owned by William Stevens, an early pioneer settler in what would become Springfield.
The anthropologists say the grave may clarify information about pioneer life not made clear in journals and historical documents.
But they say their ultimate goal is figuring out who the person is, and then finding relatives to determine what they wish to do with the remains.
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