While details are still sparse, the Utah State Historical Preservation Office has offered an explanation for the process undertaken on ancient burial sites like the one uncovered in Uintah County on Tuesday. The site was discovered on Tuesday as a worker was grading an area on private land that is part of the Woods Road construction project. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office was called and the area was secured as a team from the Utah State Historical Preservation Office traveled to Uintah County to excavate the site. According to PIO Josh Loftin, the team arrived on Wednesday and they have up to 5 days to do their work. “This was determined to be a case for our Antiquities section which means it is more than a century old,” shares Loftin. “They start by determining if the remains need to be removed or stay where they are at. If they can stay then it is ensured they are buried appropriately. If they are removed then it is done in a scientifically sound and respectful way.” Remains are brought to the lab in Salt Lake City where analysis is done to determine cultural association. “In this case,” explains Loftin, “does it belong to the Ute Tribe or is it from a time more distant? Some of these cases can be thousands of years old.” The analysis can take up to a year and information that is determined is released to the public through the Native American Remains Committee. Those reports explain what was determined about the remains and relics found during an excavation process. For now Uintah County residents will have to be content waiting for details as no specifics on the site have been released. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office made a public statement confirming that a contractor working on a project in Uintah County uncovered a possible historical burial site on Tuesday. The Sheriff’s Office stated that they are working with the team from the State of Utah Department of Heritage and Arts to determine what the site is and to examine the remains. More details will be released when they become available.
