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Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) Portal

Formerly “Unplatted Burial Sites and Earthworks in Minnesota” website

This website provides access to the archaeological site inventory and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council's archaeological & cultural sites for all of Minnesota and the Minnesota Statewide Archaelogical Predictive Model (MnModel). In accordance with Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Minnesota Statute § 307.08, subd. 11 and Minnesota Statute § 13.37, full access to detailed records is reserved for qualified archaeologists and historic preservation professionals, tribal historic preservation officers, and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council.

Public Map

Notices

OSA Portal Access and Shapefiles: If you are requesting access to the portal, or have questions or concerns about portal access or function please email OSA.Portal.ADM@state.mn.us. Please note, site location data is protected and updated on a daily basis, therefore the OSA does not provide site shapefiles for download or upon request.

Reminder to Contact Tribal Historic Preservation Officers: This is a reminder to contact Tribal Historic Preservation Officers if your project area falls within tribal boundaries. They may have information about cultural resources which are not recorded in the OSA portal, or additional information regarding sites in the portal.

Research

Qualified Users can conduct database and map queries, view discrete site locations, and access associated documents for individual site records. To request access to the Portal, contact the Office of the State Archaeologist. Access to the portal is subject to the terms and conditions of the OSA Portal User Agreement and applicable law.

Site Inventory Stewardship

The Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) maintains the official archaeological site inventory file for Minnesota. In conjunction with OSA, the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office (MnHPO) maintains a portion of this database for federal review/compliance and eligibility purposes. MnDOT maintains the MnModel data in the Portal.

General Data Disclaimer

Archaeological site data and MIAC’s archaeological and cultural resource sites are provided “as-is” and are for permitted purposes only as provided in the Portal User Agreement.

The Portal and the data it contains, including MnModel and MIAC’s archaeological and cultural resource sites (collectively hereinafter “data”), are provided for informational purposes only. The User accepts the data as is. The data in the Portal were developed for internal business purposes, collected from various sources, and will change over time without notice. Data in the Portal merely indicate the probability of locating an archaeological site, so they do not replace the need for field verification. A qualified archeologist must undertake an independent investigation in order to assess actual impact to known or potential sites. Neither OSA nor any of its officials or employees, nor MnDOT, nor MIAC, nor the State of Minnesota guarantees the accuracy or quality of the data on the Portal. There is no guarantee that data are error free. Accessing data through the Portal is not a warranty. OSA, MnDOT, MIAC, the State of Minnesota and its officials and employees make no warranty of Portal data - express or implied - including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. OSA, MnDOT, MIAC, the State of Minnesota and its officials and employees assume no responsibility or legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, reliability, timeliness, or usefulness of any of the data in the Portal, nor do they represent that use of the data will not infringe upon privately owned rights. OSA, MnDOT, MIAC, the State of Minnesota and its officials and employees assume no responsibility for actual, consequential, incidental, special, or exemplary damages, or damages of any kind caused by – or associated with – any User’s reliance on, or use of, the data even if appraised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. All end Users of the Portal, and the data it contains, assume all risk associated with use.