Hundreds of years ago, a Fremont Indian woman's remains washed down a river into what is now the south side of American Fork. Last week, a construction crew digging a trench for a water line discovered her skeleton, along with pottery shards.

The crew unearthed the woman's skull and about 65 percent of her skeleton. When the contractors discovered it, they halted work immediately and called the police.

Chris Chijester, an employee with Advanced Construction, had been shoveling loose dirt out of a 5-foot trench when he noticed the skull. The police sealed off the site and called the state medical examiner and the state archeologist, and both offices sent representatives to the site.

State archeologists determined the remains belonged to a woman of American Indian ancestry. They used the pottery shards to help determine her age.

"We also found in the vicinity a few pieces of Fremont cultural pottery," said Ron Rood, assistant state archeologist. "It dates to about 900 to 1,000 years ago. I believe the skeleton dates to that same time period.

"The preliminary analysis suggests it is an adult female," he said. "She died roughly 1,000 years ago."

State archeologists believe the area, near 275 West and 200 South, wasn't a burial site because nothing else was buried there. Also, there is evidence that a river once flowed through the site.

"Mr. Rood stated this was a significant find and was appreciative of the Advanced Construction crew who were conscientious enough to notify the proper authorities," said American Fork Police Chief Lance Call.

Rood said state archeologists investigate any remains found in a similar manner.

"It is a big part of my job to respond to sites where people have found human remains," he said. "That includes construction sites or people out hiking.

"First of all, we determine whether it is a modern crime victim or an ancient skeleton. It depends a lot on the context of the discovery, and what is with the bones."

He said over the past four or five years, there have been about 10 or 12 finds similar to the American Fork discovery across the state.

"People have lived in Utah for the last 11,000 years," he said.

The remains found in American Fork are now in the custody of the Utah Division of State History. After archeologists are finished studying them, they will be returned to a related modern-day American Indian tribe for burial.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.