Indian Burial Pit – Salina, Kansas

Yesterday's post about the Indian burial grounds discovered near Vermilion in 1940 reminded me of this brochure (below) that I had picked up during one of my family's cross-country camping trips in the 1960s. It's for the Indian Burial Pit, located on US Highway 40, four miles east of Salina, Kansas.

As the brochure notes, "Not extremely large, the Indian Burial Pit near Salina nevertheless contains the skeleton remains of 146 Indians. Uncovered and left just exactly as they were placed here many centuries ago, they present an interesting sight. That so many skeletons are found in a pit of this size is due to the fact that they were placed there in layers, and in a flexed position, knees drawn up and hands resting close to their faces.

"Artifacts such as pottery, ceremonial flint knives, necklaces made of clam shells, clam shell pendants, grinding stones, etc. may also be seen throughout the pit."

The Wiki page entry about the burial site observes, "In 1873, Benjamin Marlin accidentally encountered bones when he was constructing a dugout home on his land. In 1936, Guy and Mabel Whiteford started excavating the site. For many decades, it was a tourist trap called the Indian Burial Pit or Salina Burial Pit.”

Indeed, the burial pit was featured on a variety of postcards through the years. Some even featured the Whitefords. (Postmarks are noted where available)

1930s

1941

1944

1965

1971

Needless to say, the Indian Burial Pit was not on the Brady list of vacation attractions to visit.

So what finally happened to the Pit? According to the Wiki entry, "In 1989, the state of Kansas purchased the site. In 1990, the pit was filled with sand and covered with a concrete cap to protect it, then covered with dirt and grass.

Click here to read a well-written student paper that examines the history of the burial pit and how the efforts of indigenous activists successfully led to its closing.