Kennewick Man Archaeological Site, Washington

The discovery in 1996 of skeletal remains at this site, on the shores of the Columbia in Kennewick, led to a debate based on varied interpretations of archeological evidence. Native Americans claimed the 9,200 year old bones are theirs and should be reinterred, while archeologists continued to examine the remains following speculation that they may be of early European origin. Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the shoreline here, has covered the site with soil and gravel, contained by terraced netting, and planted it with shrubs, making further studies at the site difficult. In 1998, Washington's Burke Museum became the storage facility for the remains, as determined by legal proceeding. As a result of a legal finding by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2004, the Kennewick Man remains continue to be under the control of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.