Archaeologists discover eroded human remains in pioneer cemetery in Platte City

PLATTE CITY, Mo. — A pair of archaeologists on Friday discovered the remains of a Platte City, Missouri, pioneer at the overgrown Jones-Bane Cemetery.

“They migrated here in the 1830s,” said archaeologist Aimee Hanson, who volunteered to document the burial sites. “Baldwin Bane… held the land patent for this area and owned 160 acres surrounding this area. They were some of the first people to move to Platte City.”

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Hanson is mapping the cemetery for the Copper Ridge Homeowners Association, the group responsible for maintaining the property.

“I got a call and I was like, ‘Oh no, this is bad,'” said Copper Ridge HOA resident Dave Rukavina.

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Work at Jones-Bane Cemetery over the past four years is believed to have uncovered approximately 100 burial sites, including Hanson’s head and foot stones.

But there’s more to uncover beneath the overgrown thorny bushes and weeds.

“A lot of erosion forces come into play. We see some dumpsters and concrete blocks from construction in the neighborhood,” he said. “I think people forgot it was here. It’s out of sight and out of mind. Nature is taking over.”

Field archaeologist Adam Kniffen said he jumped at the opportunity to help Hanson with this project.

“On our last project, Aimee said she did this, so I thought it was really cool and wanted to help,” Kniffen said. “This is the eroded tomb. I was just walking up and there was a large scapula lying right there. I followed my instincts to look at the ground for an answer and noticed two human vertebrae sticking out of the ground.”

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Hanson and Kniffen followed protocol and contacted the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.

“They treated it as a crime scene, just in case,” Rukavina said.

A few hours later, the sheriff confirmed that Kniffen’s initial find was that of an animal, while the remains on the ground were from the eroded grave.

Hanson was given permission to continue his work, but problems with the eroded tomb continued.

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“We do not believe any of the remains are anywhere other than where they were found. When you’re dealing with these woodlands, there’s always the possibility of people or animals passing by… we may see some movement, but that’s not happening right now,” Hanson said. “Times used to be a little more pressing than they used to be.

“When you’re dealing with granite blocks and marble rather than dealing with human remains or anything else that might come up, you’re working on a much smaller time scale to preserve them.”

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It is estimated that the last burial in the cemetery was in the 1980s. The neighborhood’s developers built around it.

Left untouched for 30 years, the HOA is responsible for maintaining the sites for the remainder of their existence.

“There’s actually no process that we know will go through, and if anyone knows about that process, we’d love to know,” Rukavina said. “We were told to fill out this form and let Aimee do her thing and we will work to get it included on the National Register (of Historic Places) so we can get more help.”

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Rukavina said maintaining the cemetery will be a long and expensive process, so the HOA is hoping to find grants to help with maintenance and preservation.

Meanwhile, Hanson and Kniffen are trying to accelerate their work within the parameters of archaeological ethics.

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“You’re looking at something you probably shouldn’t be, and the owner of these probably doesn’t want you to be,” Kniffen said. “You are witnessing things that should not be witnessed.

“I think when people are buried, they don’t plan on people like me coming across an open grave. I think a lot of that comes from respect and wanting to show respect.”

Hanson agreed. “This is our history and the history of the community, and we can get through this together,” he added.

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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.