Photo courtesy Esplanade Archives

By Chantal Wagner

Belfast Street

Esplanade archives elaborate on historical human remains found last month

Oct 22, 2020 | 5:24 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre has a follow up on the history of historical human remains that were found last month in Medicine Hat.

An investigation was also launched by city police who enlisted the help of an archaeologist.

According to the archives, this history dates back to the 1900s and is not uncommon.

The historical human remains were uncovered during excavation work on Belfast Street in the Southeast Hill neighbourhood.

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Assistant archivist Jennifer Utrera Barrientos says that grave had a coffin as well.

She says up on the side of the hill, pioneers use to make unmarked graves.

Adding that, those archaeological graves were not really a surprise as finding them has happened before.

The last time an unmarked grave was found was in the 1960s.

She says sometimes during roadwork in that area of Medicine Hat, history can be found.

“Back when Medicine Hat kind of first started they didn’t have an official cemetery for people until about 1889. So prior to that, there were a lot of graves that were on the side of the hill. So they used grave areas basically for people that had passed away who were homesteaders up there.”

Utrera Barrientos says in 1906 there was also a newspaper article that was talking about the informal graves they found back then.