Nearly two dozen Stantec archaeologists, including Alex Elvis Badillo, are helping investigate one of the nation’s darkest moments using remote sensing and advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. In 1921, a mob attacked Tulsa’s thriving African American neighborhood of Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street, destroying 1,000 homes and businesses. An estimated 30 to 300 people died. How many died is a mystery because the victims and their identities are still largely unknown. The records that do exist suggest some victims were buried in a segregated area of Oaklawn Cemetery known as Section 20.
Archaeologists spent the summer of 2024 excavating Section 20. Badillo, the project team’s digital archaeologist, is building a geographically accurate 3D model of Section 20 to help the investigation. Badillo tells Esri’s ArcNews that the digital processes used in the project are a “novel, modern framework for archaeology.” The GIS publication tells the story of investigating Section 20 with innovative mapping technology.
" }