Construction crews have uncovered a shell midden while excavating a site for a new subdivision on Wrangell Island. Middens are ancient sites made up of shells and other remains. They can help tell the story of who lived there and how they lived.
The borough government, which owns the property, is pausing work near the midden until a state-approved mitigation plan is complete. Wrangell Borough Manager Mason Villarma said development will continue carefully.
“This has been a 30-year pursuit in some cases,” he said. “We’re into a $4 million dollar investment. This is an opportunity for 20 housing lots, but being cognizant of any culturally significant artifacts is top of mind.”
The Office of History and Archaeology and the State Historic Preservation Office are working on a plan for the site that will involve further investigation and excavation.
This isn’t the first time development of the long-planned subdivision has uncovered historical artifacts. In August, crews found remnants — a footbridge, concrete and utility lines — from the Wrangell Institute, an Alaska Native boarding school known for punishing students for speaking their language and other abuses.
The school operated between 1932 and 1975. Two decades later, the property was turned over to Wrangell.
Albert Rhinehart, the administrator for the local tribal government, Wrangell Cooperative Association, said the site carries deep meaning.
“There’s a long history of colonization that includes the Wrangell Institute — what we prefer now to call the Alaska Native boarding school,” he said. “A lot of families got separated in that period of time… even my own family. There was a lot of trauma and everything around that.”
After that discovery, construction paused until the state historic office determined last month that the infrastructure would not be on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chris Parrish is an archaeologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The parcels of land containing remnants of the former boarding school are in their purview. Though construction in that area resumed, he said it’s still important to address the history carefully.
“The Wrangell Institute was a Native boarding school, and that is a very sensitive matter, especially for tribal communities,” he said.
The 134-acre Alder Top Village site will eventually include 20 home lots. The public land sale auction closes on Dec. 1.