Caledonia Argus

Hokah bones came from two women

Posted: 5/11/04

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

The bones found under a home in Hokah last fall came from two women who were probably of Native American descent.

Dr. Susan Myster, a forensic anthropologist at Hamline University, made that conclusion in a report given the Minnesota Office of State Archeology.

State archeologist Mark Dudzik told The Argus that his office will work with the Indian Affairs Council of Minnesota and the Hochunk Tribal Community to see that happens next with the remains. Since the remains are likely Indian, it is appropriate that they be returned to Indian people, Dudzik said. There were Hochunk forebears living in the Hokah area, he added.

One personís remains were part American Indian, Dudzik said, and t while the otherís origin is unclear, the context of their burial makes it likely that they were Indian.

The age of the bones was not stated in a report. But the condition of teeth indicated that they had been buried at least 50 years old, and probably much longer.

The home under which the bones were found at 511 Ash Street was built in 1864. The home owner, Bill McCabe, discovered them when he was digging footings for an addition.

Here are the highlights of Mysterís report:

One of the women was between age 33-44 when she died, and may have been a mix of Native American and caucasian. She was 5í-4î to 5í-8î in height, had osteoarthritis, an injured right ankle, and dental cavities.

Only a few bones of the second women were found, and they were not as well preserved. She was 14-20 years old. Myster speculated that she was Native American based on how closely she was buried to the other woman, and that a burial ground was known to be in that area.

A cause of death for the women could not be determined.

The findings rule out the theory that the bones may have belonged to Anna Vogel, a 68-year-old Hokah woman who disappeared in 1928.

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