The Story
In June 1974, equipment operator George Hanson exposed a tusk while leveling ground for a subdivision. Landowner Phil Anderson donated the bone bed rather than build on it, and excavation began in 1975. The site was a Pleistocene sinkhole — a spring-fed pond with slick walls that trapped mostly young male mammoths. As of 2016, 61 mammoths (58 Columbian, 3 woolly) had been recovered, plus an ancient short-faced bear. Today it's an indoor museum built directly over the still-active dig.
Surprising Facts
→ The sinkhole was found by accident in 1974 during subdivision construction — which was scrapped to save it.
→ 61 mammoths have been recovered so far, nearly all young males.
→ It's one of the few places on Earth where the public can watch active fossil excavation indoors, year-round.