Early in September, State Archeology Office staff assisted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Omaha with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey of portions of the Winter Quarters cemetery. In the winters of 1846-47 and 1847-48, more than 600 members of the Church died in the Winter Quarters encampment, located in the Florence neighborhood in northeast Omaha. Over the decades, many of the headstones marking those graves were removed so the exact locations of the deceased have largely remained unknown. Journal entries and other limited documentation have allowed the Church to plat the presumed locations of the graves throughout the cemetery, but utilizing GPR can help confirm those locations without having to excavate. See this blog post for more details about non-invasive technological tools archeologists use.
Assistant State Archeologist Laura Crawford and consultant Steve DeVore conducting a ground-penetrating radar survey at Winter Quarters Cemetery in Omaha.
In advance of planned improvements at the cemetery, State Archeologist Dave Williams, Assistant State Archeologist Laura Crawford, and consultant Steve DeVore (retired National Park Service) spent two days running the GPR instrument and mapping extant grave markers to ensure the improvements won’t impact any unmarked graves. This is the second GPR survey the SAO has assisted with, and at least the third GPR survey of the cemetery itself. Once the GPR data are processed and analyzed, the results will assist the Church with future improvement and planning activities within the cemetery grounds.
To learn much more about the Mormon Trail and Winter Quarters, check out these articles: https://history.nebraska.gov/?s=Mormon+winter+quarters.
Assistant State Archeologist Laura Crawford conducting a ground-penetrating radar survey at Winter Quarters Cemetery in Omaha.
