A member of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and a member of the North Dakota Geological Survey perform soil tests on Aug. 26, 2026, near the governor’s residence where human remains were discovered as part of a fence and driveway project on the Capitol grounds. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) – Crews will begin work Tuesday to investigate and relocate human remains discovered during construction near the North Dakota governor’s residence.
Construction of a fence and driveway paused in May after crews discovered human remains and coffin fragments.
Since then, surveys using ground-penetrating radar have identified up to 29 possible anomalies that need further analysis, Brandon Solberg, facilities management director, said in a statement. An anomaly could be human remains, but it could also be other items that are different from the natural surroundings, such as tree roots, sewer lines or other utilities, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
The agency, in coordination with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, contracted with an archaeologist to investigate. The office has also contracted with a funeral home to relocate all remains to Bismarck cemeteries, Solberg said. The Crisis Care Chaplaincy volunteered its services to ensure that any remains exhumed are handled with care and reverence, according to the agency.
The North Dakota governor’s residence, pictured on Aug. 26, 2026, is getting security upgrades approved by the Legislature. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
It was no secret that the governor’s residence was also the site of one of the capital city’s oldest cemeteries, dating back to the late 1800s, said Tory Jackson, a Bismarck attorney and local historian.
“It’s kind of shocking to me that the state is now apparently hiring archeologists when they should have done that on the front end, before the project started,” Jackson said. “I think it’s just complete incompetence.”
Joe Morrissette, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement that no human remains were discovered during construction of the current governor’s residence, which began in 2016 and was completed in 2018.
“Based on the information available at the time, there was no reason to believe additional remains were present in the area,” he said.
Morrissette added that the construction project was known to the public before work began.
“If a member of the public, particularly someone with knowledge of the historical use of this area, was aware of additional remains at this location, there was an opportunity to raise that information before construction began,” he said.
Jackson said about a dozen burial sites were discovered when the city was installing a trolley line near the area in 1903, and at least another five were discovered in 1959 during construction of the first governor’s residence on that site.
“There obviously are more because they are finding more bones now,” he said. “They’ve got a whole team of historians and archeologists on the other side of the Capitol grounds that could’ve given them some information and helped figure this out before they started breaking ground.”
In researching some of Bismarck’s oldest residents, Jackson said Linda Slaughter estimated 71 people had been buried at the old city cemetery site. However, it remains unclear how many of them were reinterred to St. Mary’s and Fairview cemeteries once those sites opened toward the end of the 19th Century, he added.
“I think it is a good step that they (OMB) are doing this now,” Jackson said. “It should have been done a long time ago, but better late than never, I suppose.”
The archaeologist will identify the gender and approximate age of any remains found, but will not conduct any DNA testing, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Lawmakers last year approved $2.35 million for security upgrades to the governor’s residence, including the fence and driveway extension. So far, the archaeological work has cost the state an additional $155,000, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The final cost will depend on what is discovered.
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