With new home construction continuing, the pressure is on to remove all
of the mammoth’s bones so the builders can finish. Exhuming the bones and encasing them in a plaster
& burlap cocoon to preserve them is a painstaking process. The fossils are incredibly delicate and must
be handled with extreme care.To help expedite the process, Weatherford College Professor Lorraine Gouge and Instructor William C. Seigler enlisted the help of experienced local volunteers from Texas Parks and Wildlife Master Naturalist as well as WC students of the Physical Sciences.
Alexis (in pink) was thrilled to find an arrowhead. Instructor Seigler explained that it probably washed down the hill and into the site many years after the death of the mammoth.
The task at hand was to remove the 2nd tusk and the mammoth’s jaw. This requires the paleontologists to remove the dirt surrounding the fossil, plaster over it, then remove the material under it to free it from its earthly bonds. All dirt removed from the site is sifted to ensure no valuable specimens are overlooked. Once freed, the fossil is rolled over and the bottom is plastered over to complete the cocoon for transport. This requires incredible patience and determination. The team did an outstanding job!
Lorraine Gouge and William C. Seigler
Team diligently working
Preparing to plaster the fossils
Plaster and burlap strips are carefully laid over the specimen
Lorraine Gouge directing the recovery effort
Tusk and jaw being prepared for roll-over
DFW Team 1 would like to thank all involved that made this incredible recovery possible!
Texas Master Naturalists
Tarrant County Archeological Society
Texas Archeological Society
Waco National Mammoth Monument
Baylor University Paleontology Department
Texas A&M Geoscience Department
Texas Historical Commission
Travis and Parker County Stewards
University of Texas at Arlington Anthropology Department
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