NathanIn 2010, the scientific community would go on to decipher more about the ice age and America’s role in the prehistoric era when John and his family discovered something in their backyard. The whole family unexpectedly met with this 12,000-year-old secret. This became useful for so many researchers and historians alike to learn more about a bygone era we have little trace of. This accidental discovery resulted to be way more informative than the family could have ever imagined…
A Normal Iowa Day
In Oskaloosa, Iowa, John and his family own a house where there was once a creek but dried up naturally. John and his boys were going about their day plucking fruits in their farm when they suddenly found something strange. This was one mysterious object that they were not familiar with. John took a closer look and saw that it had a strange pattern and was indeed huge.
From A Prehistoric Time?
Farmer John and his sons were keen on learning more so they dig around the huge discovery. They were unaware that this was in fact 12,000 years old. Little did they know that this would serve as a window to prehistoric Iowa no one had a clue about. The whole family was so intrigued by it and John exclaimed, “Boys, that’s a bone, that’s a really big bone.”
A Ginormous Bone
The bone was of course from a prehistoric animal with massive proportions. It did not take John to realize that this thing they found was marrow lines. The more they dug, the clearer it was that this was a leg bone of an animal so huge that the knee joint was the same as that of a soccer ball. The whole family decided to investigate further and dug more with even stranger discoveries.
Professional Help
John knew that they were going to have to call upon archaeologists for help. He informed the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. The family had by now dug up around 20 bones from their backyard. They were ribs, vertebrae, and phalanges. As they studied these bones, they soon realized that they belonged to one of the most incredible beings that ever roamed the earth…
It Was A Woolly Mammoth!
In the end, the family found out that the objects they unearthed were from a massive woolly mammoth skeleton! Their discovery led to being one where there were more prehistoric bones discovered than any other place in their region. Volunteers came to help and their discovery left the experts astounded. They continued the digging for months and soon they would learn that mammoths were not the only ones buried!
Multiple Mammoths Found
By 2015, they had unearthed about 3 different woolly mammoths which were truly an amazing feat. It was truly one of the most important Ice Age finds in Iowa or even the whole world. Even though these skeletons weren’t all complete, it did lead the enthusiasts to educate themselves on the prehistoric world. The experts were confident that these were actually Columbian mammoths. Then there was more…