Graves at hospital construction site a link to Springfield's first settler
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Archaeologists recovered the remains of four people from graves at the site of a new hospital built on part of the homestead of Lane County's third settler of European ancestry.
The University of Oregon revealed the findings of the recovery effort at a press conference this afternoon.
Backhoe operator Erica French spotted what appeared to be a human bone last May during construction of the new Sacred Heart RiverBend Hospital.
"French's actions in noticing the potential burial site and immediately stopping work at the location exemplify the kind of stewardship Heritage Programs encourages and expects from all Oregonians," said Kuri Gill, coordinator of Oregon's Historic Cemeteries Program.
The hospital's owner, PeaceHealth Oregon Region, enlisted the help of archaeologists to examine and recover the remains.
"The recovered remains include that of an adult male, two children younger than age 10, and an infant," said Tom Connolly, director of research at the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
The remains have not been identified. They were found among 12 grave sites, some of them empty from when the graves were opened and the bodies moved to another cemetery.
"The remains recovered in May were apparently missed during the initial disinternment more than 100 years ago," Connolly said.
The RiverBend site is located within the pioneering land claim of William M. Stevens, according to the researchers. In 1847, Stevens and his wife and 10 children traveled from Missouri to Oregon in a covered wagon and settled on a 640-acre land claim near the McKenzie River.
Only two other settlers lived in the area at the time -- Eugene Skinner, the founder of Eugene, and Elijah Bristow of Pleasant Hill.
Stevens was likely the first settler in present day Springfield, Ore. He died in 1860 in a farm accident.
The researchers found he was not buried in the family plot, but by the mid-1880s, a dozen family members had been buried there.
The original homestead was divided amongst family members and resold by 1900. In 1901, the family removed eight burials and moved them to another cemetery. The remains found at the site in May are believed to be the other four family members.
Along with the human remains, archaeologists uncovered clothing and coffin hardware.
