The remains of at least three ancestors have been uncovered at a construction site in Oak Harbor, Washington.

The city began work on a road project and knew it was near a archeological site, according to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. A May 2009 letter recommended the city hire an archaeologist to monitor construction, develop a plan to deal with artifacts or human and consult with tribes.

But none of that happened before work started at the site. “Given your clear and advanced warning of the project’s archaeological hazards, we do not understand why our expertise and recommendations were ignored,” Lance Wollwage wrote in another letter on Monday, The Whidbey News Times reported.

The Lower Skagit Tribe lived in the area before being moved to the Swinomish Reservation.

Get the Story:
Oak Harbor residents muse about bones’ origin (The Whidbey News Times 6/21)
Oak Harbor ignored warning of possible bones at road construction site (The Whidbey News Times 6/22)
More bones unearthed in Oak Harbor street project (The Whidbey News Times 6/22)