"The Osage Nation called the sale 'truly heartbreaking'"
"O'FALLON, Mo. — A Missouri cave containing Native artwork from more than 1,000 years ago was sold at auction Tuesday, disappointing leaders of the Osage Nation who hoped to buy the land to “protect and preserve our most sacred site.”
A bidder agreed to pay $2.2 million to private owners for what's known as “Picture Cave," along with the 43 hilly acres that surround it near the town of Warrenton, about 60 miles west of St. Louis.
Bryan Laughlin, director of Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers, the St. Louis-based firm handling the auction, said the winning bidder declined to be named. A St. Louis family that's owned the land since 1953 has mainly used it for hunting."
Jim Salter reports for the Associated Press September 15, 2021.
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