The National Monument status was awarded on July 10, 2015 which enshrined about five acres. The city of Waco still maintains a park of about 100 acres surrounding the National Monument. The whole area is a partnership between the City of Waco, Baylor University, Waco Mammoth Foundation, and now the National Park Service. But you are probably wondering what is a actually on display in the park. Well the name is a bit of a clue, Colombian Mammoths.

The skeletal remains of Mammoths might be more accurate. The remains were discovered in 1978 by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin while clearing some land in a creek bed. A three foot long femur bone was their first find. They took the bone to Baylor University's Strecker Museum where experts determined it belonged to a Colombian Mammoth. The University then began the slow excavation project that has unearthed 24 Colombian Mammoths to date.

Most interesting of all is that 22 of these Mammoths seemed to have perished all in the same catastrophe. The 22 Mammoths were all female or their young. They have come to believe this was a nursery herd of Mammoths. While working to build a dig shelter to preserve some of the bones in situ, the other two Mammoths were discovered. The workers have also discovered a large turtle, a camel, and a saber tooth tiger tooth in the dig.

We spent about two hours exploring and learning about the Colombian Mammoths, including taking the guided tour. Well worth the time to go check out the dig site.

Columbian Mammoth Fun Facts:

1- Named after Christopher Columbus

2- Stand 14 feet at the shoulder

3- Weighed about 20,000 pounds

4- Ate 300-700 pounds of grass a day