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6 OSKALOOSA - FAIRFIELD
THE OSKALOOSA MAMMOTH SITE
Oskaloosa gained national attention last
year as the University of Iowa Museum of
Natural History began coordinating volunteers
for the excavation of a mammoth skeleton dis-
covered by a local farmer and his sons in 2010.
Over 150 people have had the opportunity to
help with the excavation and preservation of
the bones. While mammoth bones have been
found in every county in the state, what makes
this a rare find is the fact that it appears to be plunge-pool in which they are located. During
mostly intact and undisturbed. What makes it
even rarer is that this one site has now yielded
at least two individual mammoths, the first of
its kind in Iowa. To add another layer, the
specimens appear to be Woolly Mammoths, a
cousin to the more prevalent Columbian Mam-
moth that is typically found in the state.
The ongoing excavation has recovered
over 100 bones as of early Spring 2013. Re-
searchers have used the size and number of
certain bones, including a shoulder blade and
teeth, to determine the species and number of
individuals. One mammoth, in particular, ap-
pears to be a rather large middle-aged male
who was likely about 40 years of age when he
died. Preliminary dating based on tree remains
found with the bones could date the site at
about 16,000 BC. The bones have been well
preserved in their “Smurf-blue” clay due to the
the last ice age, the area where the mammoths
died may have been a much larger plunge-pool
near two major rivers. Now it is little more
than an eroding creek bank.
While the dig is led by the Museum of Nat-
ural History, the bones remain the property of
the landowner who would ultimately like them
to be on public display locally.
Visit www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/mammoth-
excavation for updates.