The Mammoth Site - Hot Springs, South Dakota

Last Saturday after we toured Wind Caves National Park, we went back to the town of Hot Springs and went to The Mammoth Site.  This was a unique thing for me, set right in the middle of town.  It's very deceiving - you think it's just a building - but it's SO MUCH MORE!  I was say that The Mammoth Site was the highlight of our day!

First of all, parking is adequate.  There are 6 handicap spots, about 40 regular spots and there's RV parking off to the right side and in the back, so bring your big rig here.

Overflow Area 1 for Car or Rigs

Gravel Lot for Rigs

When you go into the building, there is a small Mammoth exhibit of Sinbad, a large gift shop and the ticket counter to purchase tickets for a guided tour.  It's the same price for a guided tour as a self-guided tour, so go on the guided one.

Sinbad (Woolly Mammoth) and Movie Theater Behind

First we watched a short 12-minute video on the Woolly and Columbian Mammoths and how this place came to be.  Interestingly, it was found when a 1974 local Hot Springs developer, Phil Anderson wanted to build a track of homes on an eye-sore mount that just didn't resemble the rest of the area, so the developer started bull-dozing and immediately found a bone, halted excavation and called a specialist, Dr. Larry Agenbroad in the field.  The rest is history and is an CURRENT - IN PROGRESS dig site even today!  Rhodes Scholars dig here during the school term.  The people working on the excavation, work about 30 hours per week per person.  They come and go and their schedule allows.  Today was Saturday so no one was working in the pit.

Rather than have me explain each site, I'm going to give you the guided tour pages and then post the photo that goes with that page and you can feel like you are on a self-guided tour yourself.  It is easy to read and VERY interesting!!

#4 Far Shot

See how much progress has been made since the booklet came out?

This is in a corner of the exhibit of the bear dog

A close up skull of the bear dog in the outer Muller exhibit

Artist rendering of the bear dog. They were so big on it's hind legs,
they could be as tall as a Columbian Mammoth!

#13 Columbian Mammoth, #14 Beauty and #15 Beast

Another View of #13, 14 and 15

Front is #13 Columbian Mammoth with #14 Beauty Behind

Angled view of #13 Columbian Mammoth (left) and #14 Beauty top

#14 Beauty lower and #15 Beast above

Close up of #14 Beauty

#16 Spring Conduit and the view of the front dig

#17 Orange Flag and hole on bottom right of #13 Columbian Mammoth

2nd part to this last page.

So, you can see it's a large site and there is still 45 FEET more underneath this location.  It will be ongoing for at least another 100 years before we see exactly what's here.

I did tour the adjacent Muller Exhibit Hall.  Here's a few photos.  It was the end of the day and I was the last person out of the museum but I hope you enjoy.

Baby Pygmy Mammoth Bones

Columbian Mammoth compared to the Woolley Mammoth

I found The Mammoth Site absolutely thrilling and very interesting.  I think members of your whole family - young or old - would enjoy it, too.  While not part of the National Parks System, I really think it should be and I'm including it in my links to the National Parks on my blog.  Scott also said it was the highlight of his day.