KEEP LOOKING

First Tulsa Dig for Mass Graves From 1921 Race Massacre Finds No Human Remains

Archaeologists halt work at the first suspected site, where anomalies were detected last year by ground-penetrating radar.

The first dig for mass graves tied to the 1921 massacre of Black people in Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery proved unfruitful when no human remains were found. Authorities decided to search a section of the city cemetery after ground-penetrating radar found anomalies last year. The search area will now be expanded. “Unfortunately, things did not transpire the way that we hoped they would,” state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck told Tulsa World. “We are able to confirm this is not the location we are looking for.” “This initial test excavation was the first of many efforts to find Tulsa Race Massacre victims, and this is just the beginning of our work to bring healing and justice to the families,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement. “We remain committed to find out what happened to our fellow Tulsans in 1921.” The test excavation unearthed debris from the 1920s including a bullet, two pairs of shoes, and a road.