Last updated: October 10, 2024
Place
Waco Mammoth National Monument Dig Shelter
Quick Facts
Amenities
13 listed
Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit Available, First Aid/Medical Care Available, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Recycling, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible
In 1978, two men discovered an unusual bone in a ravine near the Bosque River. They took the find to Baylor University's Strecker Museum, where museum staff identified it as part of a Columbian mammoth. This now extinct species lived during the Pleistocene Epoch (more commonly known as the Ice Age) and inhabited North America from southern Cananda to as far south as Costa Rica.
For the next 20 years staff, students, and volunteers excavated the Waco Mammoth Site. Their efforts uncovered a nursery herd that appeared to have drowned together in a single event between 65,000 and 72,000 years ago. The excavation also discovered the remains of additional mammoths and other Ice Age animals including a Western camel, saber-toothed cat, dwarf antelope, American alligator, and giant tortoise.
While most of the excavated bones are now housed at Baylor University's Mayborn Museum, many exposed bones remain in situ (still in their original location).
The climate-controlled Dig Shelter protects the in situ bones from the elements and features a suspended walkway that allows visitors an overhead view.
Access is by guided tour only. Please start at the Welcome Center. A small fee is charged.
For the next 20 years staff, students, and volunteers excavated the Waco Mammoth Site. Their efforts uncovered a nursery herd that appeared to have drowned together in a single event between 65,000 and 72,000 years ago. The excavation also discovered the remains of additional mammoths and other Ice Age animals including a Western camel, saber-toothed cat, dwarf antelope, American alligator, and giant tortoise.
While most of the excavated bones are now housed at Baylor University's Mayborn Museum, many exposed bones remain in situ (still in their original location).
The climate-controlled Dig Shelter protects the in situ bones from the elements and features a suspended walkway that allows visitors an overhead view.
Access is by guided tour only. Please start at the Welcome Center. A small fee is charged.