Bones found after Wanapum Dam drawdown at least ‘hundreds’ of years old, coroner says

QUINCY, Wash. – Bones found along the shoreline of Crescent Bar Island on Tuesday are old and will be turned over to the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

“These bones are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old,” Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison said Thursday morning.

He examined them on Wednesday and said he could tell by looking at them that they were different from modern people’s bones.

“Our bodies’ bones looked different hundreds and thousands of years ago than they do now,” he said. “They are possibly prehistoric.”

He noted the shape and wear-pattern on the teeth, which, he said, might indicate that the person who died was eating a completely different diet from modern humans.

The bones were found by someone exploring the shoreline after the drastic drawdown of the reservoir behind Wanapum Dam. They remain, under guard, along the shoreline, Morrison said. They are expected to be picked up soon by someone from the state office.

Morrison said it has been interesting, from a coroner’s standpoint, to study the bones.

“To deal with something that is possibly prehistoric in nature is pretty unusual,” he said.

He added that the bones appear to be from one person. He said he could not speculate on where they came from.

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