Friday, August 23, 2024
Approximately 65,000 years ago, Coryell County was home to Columbian Mammoths like those found in recent years near Waco. Columbian Mammoths roamed through Central Texas until they went extinct around 10,000 years ago.
Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, they are often referred to as “ice age giants.” The Mammoths were large, hairy mammals that were part of the elephant family and had long, curved tusks. They were similar to elephants in their eating habits and had ridged molars for grazing on grasses.
It is thought that the Mammoths disappeared due to a combination of factors, including climate change and/or disease.
In nearby Waco, a fossilized nursery herd of Mammoths was discovered, which prompted the creation of the Waco Mammoth Site that opened to the public in 2009. Six years later, in 2015, President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating Waco Mammoth National Monument.
The Coryell Museum and Historical Center has many fossils on display in two second floor display cabinets. Included among the fossils is part of a Mammoth tusk, which was found in the Leon River near Mound. On display with the tusk is a fossilized Mammoth tooth, which contains evidence of striated roots. The tooth weighs a whopping 5 pounds.
Visitors to the museum can view the Mammoth tusk and tooth along with several other unique fossils, which were all located in Coryell County when it was once part of a vast inland sea, which contained marine life.
Visitors are welcome to drop by the museum located at 718 E. Main to view the massive spur collection. Coryell Museum and Historical Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, as is the gift shop. Yearly, Coryell Museum memberships are $20 for singles, $30 for families, and $40 for businesses, which includes free admission to the museum, plus four newsletters. Of course, large and small donations are welcome at all times.
Coryell Museum offers area schools and tour groups a delightful, guided tour through the museum with docents at many exhibits. Call the museum at 254-865-5007 to plan a visit.
