Remains at Minnesota cemetery exposed as land erodes into Lake Superior

Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News on Mar 26, 2026

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DETROIT — Minnesota officials are seeking funds to stop a Duluth cemetery from continuing to erode into Lake Superior.

St. Louis County is asking the state of Minnesota for a grant to build a $2.5 million retaining wall at the Scandia Cemetery to halt a clay bank from crumbling, officials said. The erosion has already caused human remains to be unearthed, according to the county.

In its application for the grant, officials said they propose "building a concrete retaining wall and nature-based stabilization methods on the cemetery property to prevent continual grave exposure and combat Lake Superior extreme weather events."

They plan to have the project completed by Dec. 31, 2028.

The county first learned about the problem in August 2024, according to the grant application.

"The Scandia Cemetery, a private cemetery established in 1881, is located on London Road and is adjacent to the Historic Glensheen Mansion Estate," officials said. The Glensheen Mansion hosts thousands of visitors annually, and the cemetery's location near the tourist attraction adds to the project's urgency, they said.

The county also said the cemetery, which is controlled and operated by a board, "has no financial means to resolve the erosion issues on its own."

Officials acknowledge the county has no legal obligation to the cemetery or responsibility to fix the problem, but they recognize that "the continued exposure of human remains presents an ethical and environmental dilemma that requires action and a permanent solution."

They said erosion and further retreat and degradation of the property will occur with the shoreline soil exposed to Lake Superior weather events and stormwater runoff.

"If a 'No Action' alternative is followed, Scandia Cemetery will indefinitely require routine monitoring, collection and housing of human remains, identification research, and notification to family lineage," according to county documents.

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