PORT ANGELES — Repairs to an eroded area on Olympic Discovery Trail beachfront where Native American archaeological remains were found and a burial plot disturbed should be completed by Friday, Port Angeles Public Works Director Thomas Hunter said Wednesday.
Hunter said no more remains have been discovered in a half-mile area between Ennis and Morse Creeks since bones from two different individuals were found Jan. 14. A hip bone was discovered Jan. 18, and an undisclosed number of bones was found Jan. 29.
Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said Wednesday that erosion had revealed parts of a shell midden in the trail bank.
State and tribal archaeologists have been monitoring the progress of the repairs.
“They’re not sure where the bones came from, but it was an organized burial plot,” Benedict said.
He said “a few” bones were found Jan. 29 by state and tribal archaeological officials who have declined to comment on the discoveries.
The beachfront along Port Angeles Harbor was occupied by a Klallam fishing village centuries ago.
Erosion cut through two different areas, one “pretty substantial in size,” Hunter said.
“By the end of [Wednesday], we should have the bulk of the work done and will spend the rest of the week resurfacing the trail and getting things cleaned up,” Hunter said.
“We anticipate the majority of work should be done by the end of the week.”
“I am not aware of any city crew or county crew that has discovered any additional remains.”
Remains are being covered with fabric that protects the native soil from non-native soil and stabilizing it with large rock and riprap so tidal action does not cause further degradation, Hunter said.
He lauded the partnership between city and Clallam County public works departments that will soon bring the project to a close.
“It’s a great project for us to collaborate,” Hunter said.
The bones are believed to be 500 to 1,000 years old, according to forensic pathologist Kathy Taylor of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
State and tribal officials have declined to comment on the discoveries.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
