Tualatin Public Library

The skeleton remains of a mastodon are displayed with a frosted glass image of a mastodon

Tualatin Public Library

Quick Facts

Location:

18878 SW Martinazzi Ave, Tualatin, Oregon 97062

Amenities

3 listed

Information, Parking - Auto, Restroom

The Tualatin Public Library, located just off Interstate 5 in Tualatin, Oregon, is home to a display of Ice Age megafauna. The Library features a striking display of an articulated partial mastodon skeleton, which was discovered in Tualatin less than a mile away. In partnership with the Tualatin Historical Society, the Library also has a display of Ice Age fossils including the sacrum of a giant ground sloth, mammoth bones, and bones from other animals; small erratics; and replicas of an ancient bison skull, mastodon tooth, and mastodon tusk. Located adjacent to the Library is Tualatin River Greenway Trail, which features a geologic timeline incorporating the Ice Age Floods, plus erratics, fossil replicas, and interpretive signage.   

A unique highlight of the Tualatin Public Library is its striking display of an articulated mastodon skeleton, which is mounted in front of an etched-glass image of a mastodon.

The mastodon skeleton was unearthed in Tualatin near the Library in 1962 by two Portland State University students. John George grew up in Tualatin and remembered the town marshal telling about some enormous bones that he had seen in the swamp near Nyberg Creek (just south of the current Fred Meyer store parking lot). Along with Ron and George Sund, George spent a a month excavating the bones, recovering nearly half of a skeleton. 

The bones were originally displayed at Portland State University before being given to then Tualatin City Manager Yvonne Addington in the 1970s. After several years in storage (first in Tualatin, then at the Portland Zoo), the Tualatin Historical Society and community members raised funds to have the bones cleaned and restored, and the skeleton was put on display within the Library. The current display was created as part of the Library's renovation and expansion in 2008.  

The skeleton was carbon-dated and determined to have died about 14,000 years ago. Scientists estimate this mastodon was a female who died in her 20s.

Tualatin has been named as a partner on the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. In partnership with the Tualatin Historical Society, the Library also currently displays several other Ice Age relics. An interactive display in the Children's Room offers the Library's young visitors a hands-on opportunity to learn more about these massive creatures that once roamed in Tualatin.