Tribe asks state to search old hospital grounds for remains

By Danielle Frost

Smoke Signals staff writer

SALEM -- The Grand Ronde Historic Preservation Office is accustomed to digging into the past, but not where potential burial grounds are concerned.

That’s why it asked the state to search the site of the former Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital where a developer is planning to build a mixed-use housing development.

There isn’t evidence that points to remains being left on the grounds of the 47.5-acre parcel, referred to as the North Campus, but part of the Historic Preservation Office’s government-to-government relationship with state and federal agencies includes due diligence before developing an area, especially if it may contain human remains.

“There was a cemetery on the grounds at one time and you never know who could have been in it or the exact boundaries,” Historic Preservation Manager Briece Edwards said. “We want to make sure the state goes through the due diligence process. … It’s not just Tribal remains we are thinking about. We are concerned for all ancestors.”

According to a July 2018 article in The Oregonian, the cemetery was in operation from 1883 until 1913, when the Legislature ordered it emptied so the land could be used for other purposes. A notice in a Salem newspaper gave relatives a couple of months to claim the bodies before they were cremated.

In 1959, workers at a nearby farm found headstones from the cemetery dumped there. All unclaimed remains were cremated and stored in a basement.

The Department of Administrative Services, which owns the land, is hiring a consultant to conduct the search with ground-penetrating radar to search for anomalies in the soil.

Additionally, the department will work with a historian to conduct research to determine where the cemetery was and to find out what records exist of exhumations, cremations and where these remains were ultimately placed.

“I don’t have exact dates for this work, but we expect it to start this month and finish in early July,” said department Communications Director Elizabeth Craig.

“This is an example of a government agency doing its due diligence,” Edwards said. “This is part of our opportunity to provide input in the process and it’s of concern when there is potential for a cemetery or burial grounds. This is about awareness and exhausting all avenues of gathering information.”