Full Breakdown
Human Remains Unearthed at North Dakota Governor’s Residence
By Drooid · · How we work
Discovery and Immediate Response
On May 19, contractors upgrading security fences and the driveway at the governor’s residence in Bismarck uncovered coffin fragments and human bones in the southwest corner of the grounds. The site had once served as Bismarck’s community cemetery in the 1870s. State archaeologists deployed ground-penetrating radar, identifying more than 80 subsurface anomalies, which led to the recovery of seven coffins and an empty wooden box.
Historical Context of the Site
The property was part of the original burial ground used from 1873 to 1877. In the 1880s, officials believed all interments had been exhumed and reburied at St. Mary’s Cemetery and Fairview Cemetery.
Official Statements & Responses
Jen Raab, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, told reporters that many of the bodies had already been reinterred elsewhere and that the discovery was unexpected.
Findings and Ongoing Work
Preliminary analysis, reported by People Magazine, identified the remains as two women, two men, two teenage boys and one toddler. Archaeologists have begun cataloging the bones; the fieldwork concluded in mid-September, and a full scientific analysis is expected to be completed early next year.
Future Plans
State officials are coordinating with a local funeral home for reburial. The remains are slated to be interred at another cemetery in the spring of 2027.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Many were already reinterred to somewhere else,” — Jen Raab, spokeswoman, Office of Management and Budget “Many were already reinterred to somewhere else,” — Jen Raab, a spokeswoman for the office
- “They had thought in the 1880s that they had exhumed everybody,” — Kara Haff, State Historical Society of North Dakota spokesperson “They had thought in the 1880s that they had exhumed everybody,” — State Historical Society, of North Dakota spokesperson Kara Haff