hill-stead’s mastodon discovery! - where i live ct · hill-stead’s mastodon discovery! the...
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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