Cultural discoveries on a highway construction project in northern Idaho that change the narrative for Native American heritage in the area was the catalyst for an award from the nation’s premiere transportation governing body Thursday, October 31.
The award was received by Jyl Wheaton of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (KTOI) and Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) Project Manager on the construction, CarrieAnn Hewitt. The award was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the second national award of the day for ITD, which also was recognized for the SH-21 Wildlife Overpass project east of Boise.
Wheaton was the lead archeologist on project discoveries. During excavation, hundreds of tribal artifacts were collected, catalogued, and will be further evaluated
“These two AASHTO national awards for ITD again prove that our employees are fantastic,” confirmed ITD Chief Deputy and Chief Operations Officer Dan McElhinney. “The SH-21 Lucky Peak wildlife crossing is a great partnering example, and the U.S. 95 McArthur Lake Bridge showcased excellent Tribal teamwork, to solve wildlife safety with cultural preservation success.”
The AASHTO President’s Transportation Awards are considered the highest honor for state departments of transportation. It is proof positive that ITD consistently produces great projects on behalf of the taxpayers of Idaho.
The project itself was fairly straightforward – an $11M project in Boundary County that rebuilt an existing two-lane section, adding wider shoulders, and replacing a box culvert over Deep Creek, which provides an outlet to McArthur Lake. The existing width-restricted box culvert was replaced with a 300-foot span bridge to provide safe animal passage under the highway.
During excavation, tribal artifacts were found, requiring an orchestrated approach to planning for the preservation of these key cultural resources. A one-of-a-kind partnership was forged between ITD, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and contractors to preserve the rich history of the area’s indigenous people. One of the discoveries was a game-changer in terms of traditional thought. Native American artifacts were found that pre-dated the earliest-known timeframes – these artifacts showed that the earliest human existence in the upper Columbia River Basin came some 4,000 years earlier than previously thought!
Wheaton emphasized the important role ITD played in the project by recognizing unique implications that went far beyond typical roadwork. “The Idaho Transportation Department deserves a lot of credit for recognizing early on that this had the potential to change the history of the Kootenai Tribe and the history of the area as well, and to not only encourage our work but also to play an active role in fostering the spirit of inclusiveness that came to define this project.”
This project not only improved transportation to the community; it also preserved and celebrated important artifacts that changed the understanding of regional tribal history and culture.
“It has been a pleasure working with the Kootenai Tribe on this,” said ITD’s Hewitt. “In addition to keeping our project on schedule, I’ve developed a tremendous respect for the Tribe and their willingness to work together. They’ve been a great partner and hopefully we’ve been able to reciprocate that in their eyes.”