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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation - 11/16/2020UNAPPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 7:00 P.M. (Virtual Meeting 8080 MITCHELL RD HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson-Chair; Tara Kalar-Vice Chair; Pamela Spera; Valerie Ross; Paul Thorp; Rod Fisher COMMISSION STAFF: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES Devyn Stanton, Aarav Subbaiah, Anna Patten, Finn Bloch, Maia Chevez, Sarthak Agrawal I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Absent was commission member Kalar and student representatives Stanton and Bloch. David Mather, National Register Archeologist, joined the meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Fisher to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4- 0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Thorp moved, seconded by Ross to approve the minutes of the October 19, 2020 meeting amended to include clarifying comments by Thorp to Item IV B regarding the owner and condition of the Bunn Property. Motion carried 4-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS A. GUEST SPEAKER DAVID MATHER, NATIONAL REGISTER ARCHEOLOGIST DISCUSS THE MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY (OLSON) Olson introduced Mather. Mather displayed a PowerPoint and explained the history and geography of the Minnesota River Valley. He showed the locations of known burial mounds, many of which have been lost, and explained there were many hundred of cemetery sites along the river bluff. The sites began with the Paleolithic period about 13,000 years ago while glacial ice was melting and EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 16, 2020 Page 2 Woolly Mammoths still abounded, to the start of the Holocene period about 10,000 years ago, the period humanity is still in. Archeologists did not know much about the Archaic period, which followed the Paleolithic period and began around 12,000 years ago. The Woodland tradition began around 3,000 years ago and saw the building of mounds, pottery use, plant domestication, and bow-and- arrow invention. Around a 1,000 years ago agricultural villages began, and was followed by the fur trade beginning in the 1600s. Then came statehood, beginning around 1850, which was a small sliver of time compared to the timeline. Some mounds and sites were still preserved, and he gave examples of this. Mather presented resources for data and information available for free online at SHPO’s website. The Statewide survey provided much of the information and was funded by Legacy funds. Other information came from county surveys and river valley archeology reports. He offered the email the links to the commission members. He displayed the archeological inventory for Eden Prairie showing the known inventory site locations, although some boundaries were vague. Fort Ridgely was a potential site, having stabilized ruins related to the 1864 Dakota War. Archeology had been done at both the fort and the battle areas and he displayed artifacts. There were also many indigenous artifacts at this site that Mather displayed. Some of the archeological work was driven by the updating of the golf course, and the historic sites were protected. The golf course had since been abandoned and restored to prairie. The archeology of the Fort also included environmental evidence such as animal bones, including of extinct species such as Passenger Pigeons, and nonnative animals kept as pets such as Mockingbirds. Mather stated there were two National Register mounds sites undergoing archeological research in Shakopee, and he pointed out their locations in relation to the highway. There were good records of the mounds and many were mapped in 1880s and 90s before they were disturbed. The mounds were 10-15 feet high and 40-60 feet across. Some large mounds still stood. The largest mound in Minnesota, Grand Mound on Rainy River, was 25 feet high and 110 feet long, though most mounds were not that large—closer to 4-6 feet high. Mounds were constructed in groups, and dug without metal tools or wheeled carts, which was impressive considering the work involved. Villages were usually located in or near the river flood plain, which had different soil due to river scour or deposit and access to water, than the bluffs (or higher flood plain area) which usually held mounds, where they were protected. Mounds were built for ceremonies and funerals, not for daily use. Sites in the flood plain were often more difficult to find yet better preserved due to moisture, and they were historically significant too. There was no major investigations of these in the Twin Cities area. [Spera arrived] EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 16, 2020 Page 3 Olson asked if there was still the possibility of receiving grants to do archeology surveys at these sites. Mather suggested the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grants and CLG grants. Public archeology was also a possibility. Mather recommended as sources the Preservation Specialist Directory, Blondo Consulting, and Archeophysics. Fisher asked if there was a possibility of creating opportunities for public archeology and if these organizations would help. Mather replied they would; there were many possibilities, and gave as an example the Elk River projects utilizing CLG grants. It was important to choose a site that was not fragile but had artifacts. Historic period sites were also good candidates, although these could have more rusty nails, broken glass, et cetera, making liability an issue. However, the public loved them. Thorp mentioned the Hennepin Town Site with its various historic sites and stated it would be interesting to do archeology work on those and on other significant sites in Eden Prairie. He asked if there were active archeological work in Eden Prairie. Mather replied he was not sure, but archeological work was taking place even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thorp asked if once mounds were covered, if they were lost or if they were recoverable. Mather replied while highways and houses were built on burial sites before laws protected them, many of these sites actually remained intact below these invasive constructions. These remnants were of course historic and deserved preservation, though it could be time-consuming and costly. If the highway was to be rebuilt, consideration of the mounds would come into play. Olson thanked Mather for his presentation. V. OLD BUSINESS A. STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATION (ANNA) Patten gave her report on the Lee House. B. YORKVILLE TRAIL MANAGEMENT PLAN (NOVAK-KREBS) Novak-Krebs stated staff received a draft from John Gertz which would be reviewed. She would pass this reviewed draft to the commission members at least a week before the next meeting. VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION November 16, 2020 Page 4 Ross reported the Feldman kiosk was installed. The Historical Society continued to input artifacts into Collective Access and had begun to add descriptions. The oral history project was in progress of being transcribed and uploaded to the website, and the Society was also working on finding appropriate photographs. Due to Covid-19, the museum would not be open on Mondays 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. anymore. It remained able to be visited by appointment. Regarding the Cummins House, J.R. Cummins did plant the hickory trees, so those were historic as well. Ross was not sure of the status of the replanting. There was no hail damage at the Cummins House, so the Society and the City would be pursuing a grant. There would be no Santa visit this year, though he did offer visits via his website. The Optimists would have their Christmas tree stand at the Cummins House. The Sharing Tree would be lit on November 26. Anyone or any organization wishing to hang an ornament was welcome to do so. The Society received an audio of Pappy Grill dating from 1973. It was a snippet in which he called into a nation-wide talk show in which he described living and working on a farm. It was now posted on “Eden Prairie Remembers” and Kathie Case mentioned it in a podcast hosted by Rick Getschow. VIII. FYI ITEMS Thorp stated the Historical Society contacted the Bunns regarding the potential for development. There was no immanent development, and the owners would not make any decision for a couple years, so there was no urgency regarding possible development on this site. IX NEXT MEETING The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. online. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: The commission members agreed to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:14 p.m.