This Native American artifact is one of many unearthed at the Macon County Airport.

Macon County is set to proceed with an airport extension despite the fact that the property on which the airport sits has been lauded as one of the most historically significant sites in the whole state.

This 1760 map of Cherokee town sites illustrates the vast area once inhabited by the Cherokee in the Iotla Valley, the location of the Macon County Airport.

The process will start depending upon the weather, said Authority Chair Milles Gregory, and will take approximately 90 days. The archaeologist was hired at a cost of approximately $535,000, variant upon findings.

The project has been in the works for some time in an attempt to extend the runway at the Macon County Airport to allow commercial aircraft room to land. The 601-foot west end extension will create a 100-foot-wide by 5000-foot-long runway. Currently the runway is only 75 feet wide.

Federal grants have been available for the project through the Federal Aviation Administration. “Agencies are all on board,” said Gregory of the extension last week. “We’re going ahead with it; it’s been at least five years in the making.”

Ancient peoples sometimes buried family members in the floor of their homes. Several hundred burials are interred at the airport location. These illustrations show the ways in which the bodies were interred in the ground. The Cherokee have expresed that they do not want the graves disturbed despite an impendng airport extension. Illustrations provided by Chicora Foundation, Inc, Columbia, S.C.

The scenic and flat Iotla Valley is thought to have been home to several ancient peoples.

About two years ago, said Gregory, the Authority installed three miles of fencing digging three feet into the ground to protect archaeological findings known to be there.

In 2000, a thorough archaeological evaluation of the site was done to determine what may be buried under the ground. The Chicora Research Foundation, a non-profit environmental and archaeological group out of South Carolina, performed the study under Director Dr. Michael Trinkley.

An aerial view shows the area of the airport explored in 2000. Despite findings of significant archaeological importance, the airport extension project is proceeding.

Over a four week period, Trinkley and his crews “mined” 80 trenches on the property, looking for clues to ancient civilizations. In this process, four graves were accidentally uncovered. Ancient peoples, said Bill Dyar, with the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, often buried their family members in the floors of their homes.

Trinkley found evidence of Connestee peoples, circa A.D. 200-800 and Qualla peoples, circa A.D. 1450-1838. The State Historic Preservation Office reviewed the findings and listed the site for inclusion on the National Registry of Historic Places.

“This is a very major, very large late Cherokee site of exceptional importance, the likes of which we will not see again in our lifetimes,” said Trinkley.

Dr. David Moore, Professor of Archaeology at Warren Wilson College, said the Iotla Valley/ Macon Airport property is a “really important archaeological site” in part because the artifact deposits are intact and present beneath the ground. The Native American village, he said, contains evidence of houses and activities.

“The ideal solution,” reads the 2000 archaeological testing report, “remains avoidance of the site. This would likely necessitate abandonment of the proposed airport extension project since there seems to be no feasible alternatives.”

Trinkley recommended the site not be disturbed. He also recommended complete data recovery, should the project proceed despite the site’s historical significance. “I am shocked and disappointed,” said Trinkley, “that the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office has required only 25 percent of data recovery. We need to excavate 100 percent of what is there. This is irresponsible, unacceptable, inefficient and ignores the exceptional value of this site.”

Trinkley said that without 100 percent recovery of artifacts, burials will not be removed but will remain under the runway indefinitely. “To say this is disrespectful is an understatement,” he said. “This is an abomination and an insult to the Native American people. It is unacceptable to leave the remains behind.”

Trinkley suggested several ways the estimated 390 burials could be removed more respectfully including using a shaman, saving the original soils, incorporating security and utilizing assistance from Cherokee tribe members. “Don’t disturb the site or do it correctly,” he said. “This is an issue of human dignity.”

The plaque in the airport lobby indicates the facility is dedicated to the Cherokee.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Preservation Officer Russ Townsend said the tribe continues to be against current archaeological plans for the site. He said he doesn’t feel the FAA is doing what is required by law to protect the resources.

Townsend suggested either going forward with 100 percent of artifact removal or else not going forward with the project at all. “We have a problem with the graves being disturbed, damaged, moved or molested,” he said. “They cannot guarantee all are accounted for.”

So far, the county Airport Authority, the FAA and the state archaeologist have all signed off on the project.

Linda Hall, Assistant State Archaeologist with the Office of State Archaeology, confirmed the Iotla site is the location of an important Cherokee village. She said that the remains from the village as well as numerous artifacts and cultural features have been found at the airport. Hearths, post holes, burials and storage pits have all been documented finds, she said, and give an idea of how people lived so long ago.

Kathleen Bergen, Manager of External Communications at FAA, responded to concerns with an email stating, “The Federal Aviation Administration has followed all Federal laws regarding the proposed extension at Macon County Airport. The Agency has consulted on this project with the Cherokee tribes on numerous occasions during the past eight years, but was unsuccessful at meeting all their requirements. Within the next few weeks, the agency officially will advise the tribes that all Federal environmental requirements for the project have been met. The State has completed the required Environmental Assessment for the project, and has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact. Macon County has issued a contract for data recovery at the site, and we expect work to proceed soon. We look forward to the completion of the runway extension, which will better enable Macon County Airport to meet the aviation needs into the future.”

Townsend, Dyar and Trinkley all said they wish the whole process had been more transparent. “There has been ample time for free and open public dialogue,” said Trinkley, “but it never occurred.”

Trinkley said he also wishes the Cherokee were taking a more proactive stance. He said the issue of how much artifact removal is done likely revolves around cost. “One does not decide science based on what is affordable,” he said. “We must recover all the information the site has to offer. It is indefensible to allow a site of this magnitude to slip through our fingers.”

Trinkley said that potential industrial development is not enough reason to destroy a site of such historical and educational significance. Dyar said he is hopeful interest is there to preserve the site.

“Unless we appeal to a higher authority like Congress,” said Townsend, “or the Department of the Environment, we’re basically out of opportunity.”