Latest Images

11a-6 ft. exposure.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:05 +0000

As we exposed the tusk, I began to wonder just how big it was going to be. I didn't expect it to be this big, and I had no idea what was in store for us.

20a-damage control.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:04 +0000

We drove large spikes into the soil to support padding.

22a-recovery continues.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:03 +0000

On the banks of an ancient waterway, the remains of large bull mammoth slowly started to decompose. It is likely that process was interrupted by a flood that covered everything in silt and gravel.

37a-no end yet.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:02 +0000

My two friends and I were very aware of potential cave in dangers. I was the only one to take the risk. However, that risk was virtually eliminated by the oval cone shape I dug into the clayey soil.

39a-mammoth expedition.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:01 +0000

A little perspective near the end of the first day.

43a-the beast.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:00 +0000

"The Beast" was the nickname we gave the tusk. From the original 4' exposure that I discovered to nearing the end of the first day of excavation, we had no idea how big it was. Nor, did we know if it was still attached to the skull. Severe weather forecasts provided a context of underlying stress. So, I was somewhat relieved to finally call out to the guys that I found the proximal end...and nothing behind it.

58a-balanced.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:45:59 +0000

We excavated and plastered for almost two days. While waiting for plaster to set, I received a call that severe thunderstorms were building in the west and would likely hit the site. It was time to change objectives. No more plastering...we had to get the tusk out. When undercutting one of the last pedestals of soil, we saw the plaster starting to crack. To avoid disaster, I asked my friends to throw me the hand saw while they strained to keep the tusk from falling. I cut it in half and we prepared it for transport. The heavy proximal end is resting on life jackets in the bottom of the canoe under the plywood. I wished we'd had another half day to complete the plastering, but nature doesn't care either way, and it was about to deliver a knock out punch.

59a-paddling a mammoth.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:45:58 +0000

My paddling and canoe experience convinced my friends that the boat could hold everything for the trip back...but it was on the tender edge of navigability.

61a-results of flash flood 10 hrs after removal.jpg

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:45:57 +0000

What you don't see is all of the excavated soil and 12-18 inches of earth shaved from the bluff face (compare it to previous photos). This photo was taken about 10 hours after we removed the tusk. A flash flood from the overnight severe weather wiped everything clean up to the bottom of the "cave"......we got it just in time!

19 - Standing beside a prehistoric story...

Fri, 02 May 2008 04:17:48 +0000

What was the story behind the demise of this mammoth. Life and death in the Pleistocene was a common as today, but every life and death has a story....