Abstract

During the course of construction activities in 1969 at the Seafort Gas Plant within the boundaries of what later became Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site of Canada, a Fur Trade Era burying ground was discovered. The interred remains of 13 individuals were removed from the construction site with one more being recovered in 1971. Following initial analyses, the human remains were placed in storage at the Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta. In September 2002, the human remains, as well as funerary artefacts recovered through later archaeological mitigation at the gas plant were reinterred at a new location within the boundaries of the National Historic Site. This paper discusses aspects of the reburial process including local, Aboriginal and Metis concerns, archaeological research concerns, Parks Canada policies, the various factors that affected the decision making, and how the reburial eventually unfolded.