Geophysical And Bioarchaeological Investigations At The Box Elder Springs Site

The Box Elder Springs site, located along the western edge of the Hartville Uplift in eastern Wyoming, has a long history of archaeological investigation, beginning in the 1940s. The site is also located along the Child's Cutoff, a route used by nineteenth century emigrants along the north side of the North Platte River. Three Oregon Trail-era adult human skeletons, along with portions from an infant skeleton, have eroded from a road cut at Box Elder Springs and were excavated by anthropologists from the University of Wyoming in recent years. Additionally, the site's landowners suggest another burial was looted from the site prior to the excavations. Emigrant diaries indicate additional burials are likely present. The close proximity of the burials to each other, combined with historical records, point to the existence of an emigrant cemetery. For management purposes, a magnetic gradiometer survey was conducted. Although the results are inconclusive, several magnetic anomalies may be associated with additional graves. Currently, landownership issues must be resolved in order to determine a course of action regarding the excavated remains and to preserve additional graves at Box Elder Springs.