Esther, Eunice and I went to the Waco Mammoth Site. Here is the full story and information about the site (taken from their website) "On a spring day in 1978, Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin embarked on a search for arrowheads and fossils near the Bosque River. To their surprise, the men stumbled upon a large bone eroding out of a ravine. Recognizing the unusual nature of the find, they removed the bone and took it to the Strecker Museum at Baylor University for examination.
The bone was identified as Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). Museum staff members quickly organized a team of volunteers and excavation began at the site.
Using hand tools such as brushes and bamboo scrapers, crews slowly excavated a lost world. Between 1978 and 1990, the fossil remains of 16 Columbian mammoths were discovered.
The excavation work was believed to be complete, so the remains were wrapped in plaster jackets and placed into storage. But the discoveries continued.
Between 1990 and 1997, six additional mammoths were excavated, including a large male (bull). Crews also uncovered the remains of a camel (Camelops hesternus) and the tooth of a juvenile saber-tooth cat (Smilodon fatalis), which was found next to an unidentified animal.
How the animals died is still a mystery. No evidence of human involvement was found, and most of the remains did not appear disturbed by predators or scavengers. One of the first hypotheses was that the animals perished in a catastrophic tragedy. However, recent geology research indicates the animals died in a series of events spread across many.
Approximately 68,000 years ago, rapidly rising waters from the Bosque River flooded the site. At least 19 mammoths from a nursery herd were trapped in a steep-sided channel and drowned. A camel may have also been trapped and killed during this event. Later floods buried the remains. A second event took place sometime later. During this event, an unidentified animal associated with a juvenile saber-tooth cat died and was buried. The third event involved a bull, a juvenile, and an adult female. Approximately 15,000 years after the nursery herd was trapped, these animals also appear to have been victims of rising water, unable to escape due to the slippery slopes of the surrounding channel.
The discovery of additional fossil material during the construction of the Dig Shelter will help further the research into when and how the Waco mammoths lived and died.
The Waco Mammoth Site sits in a 100-plus acre stretch of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. Covered in sprawling oak, mesquite and cedar trees, the sites offer an escape from the modern world and provides a glimpse into the lives of Columbian mammoths.
Though the first bones at site were discovered in 1978, the site remained closed to the public until the end of 2009. Baylor University staff, students and volunteers spent countless hours excavating the site during the past 30 years.
In 2006, plans were initiated to make the site a public park. With the support of the Waco Mammoth Foundation, this goal became a reality.
The Waco Mammoth Site now includes a breathtaking dig shelter that creates an atmosphere of an art gallery. Natural light floods into the shelter from all directions and a suspended walkway provides a stunning overhead view of the mammoths.
The site also features a scenic trailway complete with benches and rest areas where visitors can reflect on what life was like during the age of the mammoths.
As you enter the Waco Mammoth Site, you will see the Welcome Center that is located next to the parking lot. The Welcome Center includes a gift shop and a ticket counter."
Cool, hey? Glad I took photos.
Afterward we went to the Dr. Pepper Museum, which is all about the soft drink. The museum is in Waco but if you want the Dr. Pepper drink that uses sugar vs corn syrup, that location is in Dublin, Tx.
Outside the entrance are old trucks used to transport the soda. Aside from hearing about how the soft drink got started, how it's prepared and lots of things to see in the collection, I was able to create my own soft drink using seltzer and choosing three flavors. My favorite was one that I called "Tropical Chicken" consisting of mostly cherry, lime and lemon. Then there was one that I didn't name using banana, mango and pineapple.
They also have a cafe with a soda fountain as well as a gift shop. One interesting thing that we looked at were products using Dr. Pepper such as a syrup and BBQ sauce. Hmmm....Dr. Pepper syrup atop ice cream. Dr. Pepper cheesecake...endless thoughts.
We did have lunch that day at a Mexican restaurant called Ninfa's, located just across the way from the Waco Hilton. Esther and Eunice were a bit upset seeing that I ordered quail.
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