7 Coffins Are Found Near North Dakota Governor's Residence
- Security fence upgrade reveals grisly secret buried since the 1870s.
- Archaeologists confirm seven sets of remains including men, women, and a toddler.
- Ground-penetrating radar detects 80 more anomalies beneath the Governor's estate.
- State taxpayers footed the $2.35 million bill for a renovation that turned into an excavation.
Brief Summary
What started as a routine landscaping job at the North Dakota governor's residence in Bismarck spiraled into a grim historical audit after contractors hit bone instead of bedrock. It turns out the site of the state's executive mansion was once a cemetery that wasn't quite as empty as 19th-century records suggested. Officials confirmed seven sets of remains were left behind during the original exhumations in the 1870s, turning the governor's backyard into an active archaeological site.
Why This Matters
You are seeing a classic case of historical oversight meeting modern government spending. While this serves as a macabre reminder that the ground you walk on has a past, it highlights the potential for massive budget overruns when public works projects collide with forgotten burial grounds. With over 80 more anomalies detected, expect further delays and additional costs as the state navigates the ethics and logistics of excavating a frontier-era graveyard that everyone thought was long gone.