Waco Mammoth National Monument
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The Waco Mammoth National Monument is an American national monument in the city of Waco , Texas . It is located in over 100 acres of wooded park on the Bosque River . It was designated by President Barack Obama by a Presidential Proclamation on July 10, 2015 with an area of 5 acres (2 hectares ). The reserve includes the site of fossils of prairie mammoths and other fossils from the Pleistocene and the immediate vicinity. A hall was built over the site.
Finds
The first find was made in 1978 by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin, who were looking for arrowheads and fossils near the Bosque River . The men found a large bones and brought him to analyze the Strecker Museum of Baylor University . After the bone was identified as that of a prairie mammoth, museum staff organized a formal dig. 16 mammoths were discovered between 1978 and 1990. These first remains were given a protective cover and kept in the Strecker Museum (now Mayborn Museum Complex ). The remains of another eight were excavated between 1990 and 1997. The remains of a large male, a female, two young animals and a camelop are on site in the exhibition hall. Other fossils were also found: Homotherium , Mississippi Alligator , Capromeryx and Hesperotestudo.
The only herd of females and juveniles of Pleistocene mammoths in the USA was discovered at the site. The herd included at least 18 of the unearthed mammoths. The herd appears to have drowned 65,000 to 72,000 years ago in a single natural event near the confluence of the Bosque and Brazos rivers. As the herd was quickly buried in the mud of the rising water, almost intact skeletons were found, positioned as they were at the time of death. 22 mammoths were found in the excavation area and two more were found during the construction of the exhibition hall. More than half of the area protected by the exhibition hall has not yet been excavated. Virtually the entire area outside the exhibition hall has not yet been examined for paleontological finds. Further finds are expected in the future, both inside and outside the exhibition hall.
While Baylor University oversaw the excavation, investigation, and conservation of the fossils, the City of Waco acquired the land that contained and surrounded the excavation area. The city established the Waco Mammoth Site city park . The city of Waco and Baylor University provided the federal government with 5 hectares of land with the site, the excavated fossils and archival materials for the Waco Mammoth National Monument .
administration
The Waco Mammoth National Monument is under the administration of the National Park Service , the City of Waco, the Waco Mammoth Foundation, and Baylor University .
Web links
- National Park Service: Waco Mammoth National Monument (official site )
- City of Waco: Waco Mammoth National Monument (official site )
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 31 ° 36 ′ 21 ″ N , 97 ° 10 ′ 27.5 ″ W.