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Show The Emery County Review, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 VOICES B1 Celebrating the People and Lifestyle of the San Rafael Swell Area ear Y Mammoth of the Museum celebrates 20th anniversary of Mammoth discovery T Josie Luke wenty years after the Huntington Mammoth was discovered during the construction of the Huntington Reservoir dam, the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum hosted Mammoth Day on Aug. 8, as part of their Year of the Mammoth Celebration. The event was held 20 years to the day the Columbian mammoth was first found by Chris Nielson, an employee of Nielson Construction. To commemorate the event, the museum organized various events, including lectures on the discovery, film viewings, a mammoth hut, primitive food preparation, drum making, atlatl throwing, flint knapping, pin the tail on the mammoth, a dunking booth, miniature Mesozoic gardens, natural paints and rope/cordage making. The Year of the Mammoth Celebration is an especially significant event for the Prehistoric Museum, because accreditation was pursued primarily in an effort to keep the mammoth remains in the area. With other, much larger entities lobbying for the right to curate the bones, the newly accredited museum was finally allowed to keep the find in their bone lab. The community has responded to the efforts of museum and college staff, who put in much work to organize events throughout the year. Mammoth Day drew a large crowd; more than 350 came inside the museum, with many more enjoying the entertainment outside. Evening events also drew large numbers. The year-long celebration continues Sept. 13, with the Mammoth Marathon. Participants in the marathon and half marathon will be given the unique opportunity to race through the San Rafael Swell. Those interested in participating can register at www.mammothmarathons.org/lgc/lgc. html. Photos by Josie Luke A cast of the mammoth. Chris Nielson, an employee of Nielson Construction, uncovered the remains of the mammoth at Huntington Reservoir while the construction company was working on the dam. |
