A History of the Waco Mammoth Site: In Pursuit of a National Monument

The Waco Mammoth Site is a significant ancient proboscidean site, where mammoth skeletons were unearthed in 1978 by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin. George Naryshkin identified the five partial skeletons as Mammuthus columbi, and Calvin Smith reopened the excavations in 1984. Dr. Gary Haynes confirmed that it contained a nursery herd that succumbed to a single event, making it the largest such accumulation known to the scientific community. In 2015, the site was federally recognized as the Waco Mammoth National Monument.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2023
Publisher: Baylor University Press

Paleontology is a field that often sees groundbreaking discoveries, and occasionally a unique event comes to light that forever changes our understanding of an entire species. One such momentous occasion is the Waco Mammoth Site, located on the outskirts of the city. In 1978, Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin made a remarkable discovery when they unearthed mammoth skeletons buried twelve feet beneath the earth. This site has since been hailed as one of the most significant ancient proboscidean sites in the world.

The initial investigations were conducted by David Lintz, along with volunteers from Baylor University's Strecker Museum. George Naryshkin, in his senior thesis for Baylor University's Department of Geology, identified the five partial skeletons as Mammuthus columbi. Work on the site was temporarily halted from 1981 to 1983 when Calvin Smith became the director of the Strecker Museum and resumed in 1984. By the end of that year, sixteen specimens had been exposed in a cluster that resembled a herd dying from a single event.

The discovery garnered immense interest, leading to international coverage. Many colleagues reached out to the museum, eager to witness the site. Among them was Dr. Gary Haynes, a renowned researcher who had conducted extensive studies on both extinct and modern elephants through the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution. When Dr. Haynes visited the site, he confirmed that it contained a nursery herd that succumbed to a single event, making it the largest such accumulation known to the scientific community.

Over the next few years, the site continued to expand, and new discoveries were made. One such discovery was a forty-five-year-old female mammoth attempting to rescue a juvenile from the mud flow. This remarkable find provided valuable insights into the behavior and social dynamics of these ancient giants.

The Waco Mammoth Site remains a testament to the power of scientific discovery and the importance of preserving our cultural heritage. Its significance extends beyond paleontology, as it sheds light on the lives and deaths of these magnificent creatures and contributes to our understanding of Earth's history and evolution.

Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781481317702