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FAIRFIELD, Utah (AP) -- Technicians are using ground-penetrating radar to pinpoint the locations of dozens of burials at Camp Floyd State Park.
The experts found one cluster of burials -- bones of about a half-dozen Army soldiers and civilians -- in a corner of the Utah County camp.
The purpose of the survey is to reposition named gravestones that were randomly placed around a camp cemetery years ago because nobody knew for certain where the bodies had been buried.
TAG Research by Sturm Inc., an Albuquerque, N.M., company that maps buried features without digging them up, plans to deliver results to park officials in about two weeks.
Camp Floyd was established in 1858 to put down a Mormon rebellion. The confrontation never occurred, and the Army was recalled from Utah in 1861 with the outbreak of the Civil War.
"It's neat to help tell a story (of a person) who can't tell their own story anymore," said Jennie Sturm, owner of TAG Research by Sturm Inc., who added that ground-penetrating radar doesn't disturb the site. "We like to pay respect to those buried here."
Sturm uses a modified baby jogger stroller equipped with radar to scan across the cemetery in measured sections.
About 40 bodies are believed buried at Camp Floyd, but researchers won't be able to use the results of the test to match any of the remains with known soldiers or civilians of the era.
They are believed to have died in the harsh conditions of the camp from scurvy, malnutrition and other maladies.
Sturm said Sunday she was analyzing radar data in her laboratory a day after completing the survey.
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Information from: The Daily Herald
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
