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Hill-Stead’sMastodonDiscovery!

Theworkershadabigsecret.They’dfoundsomethingwhilediggingaditchonagrandestateinFarmington.

ItwasAugust26,1913.Connecticutwasinadrought.Theworkershadbeenhiredtodigatrenchtodrainwaterfromaswampintoasmallreservoir.

Atfirst,theworkersthoughtthey’dhitatreestump.Theytriedtobreakitup.Thestorygoesthateithertheestate’smanagerorhissonthoughttherootslookedlikebone.Theyreportedtheirsuspicionstotheestate’sowner.

TheodatePopewasoneofournation’sfirstfemalearchitects.Shedesignedandbuilttheestate,calledHill-Stead,forherparents.Thelargehouse,builtin1901,satonahill.Itoverlooked250acresoffields

andforest.Herfather’sartcollectionhunginsidethehouse.

Popedecidedtocallanexpert.CharlesSchuchertwasinchargeoftheYalePeabodyMuseumofNaturalHistoryinNewHaven.Hewasapaleontologist.Hestudiedandcollectedfossils.

SchuchertcametoHill-Stead.Hewasamazedbywhathesaw.Theworkershadfoundfossilbonesofanancientmastodon!Itwasararefind.Schuchertsentscientistsfromthemuseumtolookformorebones.

Soonthesecretgotout.TheHartfordPostrananewsstoryonSeptember5.Twodayslater,800peoplecametowatchthescientistssearchformorebones.TheHartfordCourantcoveredthediscovery.Newspapersasfar

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awayasColoradoandMinnesotadid,too.Guardswerehiredtoprotectthesiteandafencewasbuilt.Over2,000peoplevisitedinoneweek.

Mostofthemastodon’sskeletonwassoonfoundnearby.Then,inNovember,atuskwasdiscoveredashortdistanceaway.Theskeletonwasnicknamed“OldLongtooth.”

Latertestsestimatethemastodonfossilboneswere12,000to14,000yearsold.In1913itwasthemostcompletemastodonskeletonfoundinNewEngland.Itisn’ttheonlymastodonfoundinConnecticut,though.OthershavebeenfoundinNewBritain,Sharon,Bristol,andCheshire.

Today“OldLongtooth”isinstorageattheConnecticut

StateMuseumofNaturalHistory.Itwaitsforatimewhenitwillonceagaindrawabigcrowd.

Captions:

Top:Fossiloflowerjawbone,1913.Hill-SteadMuseum.From“MastodonFrenzy,”ConnecticutExplored,Winter2007/2008;middle:MastodonbonesfoundatHill-SteadinFarmington,1913.LibraryofCongress;bottom:FrederickCook,sonofHill-Stead’sestatemanager,withmastodontusk,1913.Hill-SteadMuseum.From“MastodonFrenzy,”ConnecticutExplored,Winter2007/2008;nextpage:Mastadonamericanus,NewburgMastadon,1900-1935.Mammoths,mastadons,andotherlargemammalsfromtheLateCenozoicwerecollectedinIdahoandondisplayattheSmithsonianInstitution,1900-1935.ImagetakenfromlanternslidesfoundintheDivisionofVertebratePaleontologyRecords.Thisstoryisbasedon:

“MastodonFrenzy,”byElizabethCollins,ConnecticutExplored,Winter2007/2008,http://ctexplored.org/mastodon-discovery-in-farmington/

©ConnecticutExploredInc.

“RadiocarbonDateoftheFarmington/PopeMastodon,Connecticut”byMatthewBoulangerandBrianJones,FriendsoftheOfficeofStateArchaeology,fosa-ct.org/Reprints/Fall2015_Mastodon.htm

“AMSRadiocarbonDatefortheNewBritainYWCAMastodon,”byMatthewBoulanger,ArchaeologicalSocietyofConnecticutNews,September2014,connarchaeology.org/ASCNews236.pdf

Glossary

Droughtalongperiodofdryweather

Estatealargecountryhouseonalargepieceofland

Fossiltheremainsofaplantoranimalofapastagepreservedinearthorrock

Paleontologistascientistwhostudiesthehistoryoftheearthanditslifeespeciallythroughfossils

Reservoiranartificialornaturallakewherewateriscollectedasawatersupply