From unmarked graves to lasting honor

When construction crews building the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension unearthed human remains in June 2005 while tunneling on a portion under the Los Angeles County Crematorium, work halted immediately. Metro publicly announced the dramatic findings, and what had been a construction site became an archeological excavation as experts were called in to examine the discovery and help lay out plans for respectful re-interment. On Monday, March 8, at 9 a.m., Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and other officials will formally dedicate a memorial wall honoring the 19th century Chinese immigrant laborers and others buried with personal artifacts in the unmarked graves of that potter’s field. Their final resting place will be the adjoining Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, next to the historic Chinese Shrine.

Posted 3/4/10