(06Nov24) Cataclysmic Ice Age floods (such as those released from Glacial Lake Missoula) Poured across Eastern Washington sweeping many mammoths and other creatures to their creatures to their deaths. Their carcasses, along with other floating debris, were carried downstream into temporary lakes and back waters.
In November 1999 mammoth bones were discovered in quarry south of Kennewick, Washington. The sit was left undisturbed until it was rediscovered in2008. At that time, it was established that the bones were located in Ice age Flood deposits.
Upon rediscovery, excitement grew that this site might offer a unique opportunity for students, teachers, and researchers to investigate and study a well-preserved mammoth find in the context of Ice Age flood deposits.
This presentation will include Columbian Mammoth origins, how this mammoth was discovered, it’s connection with the Ice Age Floods and how CCMS volunteers connect with the public.
Ongoing excavation provides an opportunity for students, teachers, scientists, and community volunteers to collaborate among several scientific disciplines. Also see the article titled “Coyote Canyon Mammoth Dig” on the “News and Event” page.
Gary Kleinknecht is a former president of the Ice Age Floods Institute and a retired high school teacher from Kennewick, WA. He taught Northwest History for decades and incorporated the Missoula Floods into his history course beginning in the 1980’s. A few years before retirement he became involved with the rediscovery of a Columbian mammoth in the Horse Heaven Hills near Kennewick, Washington in 2010. He has served as education director of the excavation since.
Partial view of the site in 2014. 