Columbian Mammoth bones were discovered in Waco, Texas in 1978. Over the years following the discovery, many of the bones were excavated and put into storage at Baylor University. Meanwhile, the only protection for the remaining uncollected bones was a large tent. In 2009, a building was constructed over the site to preserve the remaining bones and allow visitors the opportunity to view them. The site is expected to be designated a National Monument and become part of the National Parks system.

On August 29, 2009 Barbara Benty, Tom Tucker, and I were hired by the city of Waco, TX to assist Anita Benedict (Baylor University Museum collections manager) with the repair and cleaning of the fossil Columbian mammoth and camel bones.

Click to zoom

new building	Barbara Benty next to life-size Columbian Mammoth	Tom Tucker working on tusks	bull mammoth tusks
mammoth before prep	mammoth after prep	camel spine before prep	camel spine after prep
camel limb bone before prep	camel limb bone after prep	camel jaw before prep	camel jaw after prep
completed camel as seen from catwalk	entrance catwalk	exit catwalk	Tom, Barb, and Lou