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Archaeologists To Dig Up Tolo Mammoth Excavation Will Begin In July; Teams Will Seek Glimpse Of Prehistoric Past

Associated Press

Two projects that will shed light on Idaho’s prehistoric heritage will get down to the nitty gritty this summer.

A team led by University of Idaho archaeologist Lee Sappington intends to start excavating a mammoth skeleton found in a gravel pit near Kamiah.

After the July 4 holiday, the team from Idaho will join another from the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Pocatello and Idaho State Historical Society to learn the secrets of Tolo Lake near Grangeville.

The first priority of that dig is excavating the corner of the lake where last summer’s work turned up a complete mammoth skeleton.

The discovery occurred last August when a timber company crew rehabilitating the lake for the Idaho Fish and Game Department found the mammoth bones.

William Akersten, state museum curator of vertebrate paleontology, said he believes the lake bed could contain the bones from hundreds of other mammoths. The Ice Age relatives of the elephant apparently vanished from North America about 11,000 years ago.

The Tolo Lake crew will try to piece together a more complete picture of the area’s past when the mammoths roamed the Camas Prairie.

The dirt will be washed to extract the bones of small mammals like mice which lived around the lake. Pollen samples also will help reveal the area’s ecology.

Akersten said he believes at least some of the lake bed should remain undisturbed so future paleontologists can use more refined techniques.

The Tolo Mammoth Replica Group, a citizens’ fund-raising organization, hopes to buy a replica of a mammoth skeleton for a Grangeville display to educate visitors.

Mammoth enthusiasts hope to help the excavation team find inexpensive lodging and supplies for the summer.

The Grangeville Post Office will offer a special cancellation to commemorate the Tolo dig on Aug. 27. The U.S. Postal Service plans to issue a series of stamps detailing Ice Age animals such as the saber-toothed cat, prehistoric horse and mammoth.