Our Oldest American Ancestor

The Minnesota Woman

The oldest skeletal remains ever discovered in North America were uncovered in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota in Otter Tail County. The bones were uncovered by construction workers in 1931, during construction on US Route 59.

Since no archaeologists were present at the initial uncovering of the bones, it is hard to determine the exact cause of death. However, the pelvis bone indicates that the skeleton belonged to a 15 or 16 year old woman. Clam shells and mud found covering the bones suggest that the woman died near a glacial lake that has been dried up for thousands of years. An elk horn dagger and conch shell necklace were buried near the skeleton.

Radiocarbon dating shows that the bones are about 8,000 years old. Prior to this discovery, it was thought that the first humans to pass through America came much more recently, two to three thousand years ago. The “Minnesota Woman,” as she came to be called (formerly “Minnesota Man” until 1976), is older than recorded history.

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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