If you are visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota, make sure to stop at the The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. This is an active dig site that has the largest concentration of Mammoth remains in the world! To date, a total of 61 mammoths have been discovered, which includes 58 Colombian mammoths and 3 Wooly mammoths. It\u2019s not to be missed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1974, the land at Mammoth Site was being leveled for a housing development. During the process, worker George Hanson struck a tusk and other bones. Hanson took the bones to his son, Dan, who had studied geology and archaeology in college. Recognizing the bone\u2019s importance, Dan reached out to his former paleontology professor, Dr. Larry Agenbroad and asked him to visit the site. By summer of 1975, Dr Agenbroad and his colleague, Dr. mead led a group of volunteer students and began excavating the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the discoveries at the site gained more interest, land owner Phil Anderson decided not to continue with construction of the housing development and the non-for-profit Mammoth Site was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sinkhole<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The mammoth site is actually a sinkhole that formed around 140,000 years ago. At that time, there was a spring which filled the hole with water. Mammoths and other animals would try to drink out of the pond and fall in. The sides of the pond were very steep so they were unable to get out and died. Over time, the dead bodies sank to the bottom of the hole, covered in sediment and buried. Eventually, the pond dried up and the remains were preserved in the rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n