Site of Significant Archaeological Find, American Mammoths!

Site of Significant Archaeological Find, American Mammoths
Landmark #4887 Potter County Visited: November 3, 2018 Plaque?  YES! 🙂
What is it? A plaque on the side of a building in Amarillo!
What makes it historical? THE PLAQUE SAYS: When this Santa Fe Railway general office building was erected in 1928, the remains of a mammoth were excavated from the basement and were placed in the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas.

The extinct American mammoths were closely related to the modern elephants of Africa and Asia. They migrated from Asia into America early in the Pleistocene Epoch, or Ice Age, more than 1,000,000 years ago. They thrived on this continent until the end of that epoch, when they disappeared, along with many other Ice Age animals such as the giant bison, ground sloth, horse, camel, and other lesser animals. The causes of this extinction are still being investigated.

There were several species of mammoths, some of them much larger than modern elephants. Remains of mammoths are so abundant in Pleistocene deposits of the Texas Panhandle that they serve as “Index Fossils” for beds of that age. Early inhabitants of North America, such as men of the Clovis Culture (circa 12,000 to 15,000 years ago), pursued the mammoth as a means of subsistence.

Preservation of history is a policy of the Santa Fe Railway System. See exhibit, foyer of this building. (1966)

OTHER TIDBITS: That pretty well sums it up!

How can I Help the Helpers? HERE’S HOW:

  • Become a member of the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum!
  • Donate to the Texas Historical Foundation!
  • Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How do I find it? Listed Directions:
On Santa Fe Building
800 Polk Street
Amarillo, TX 79101

Annotations:
The plaque is right at the intersection of Polk Street and 8th Avenue!

From Austin: ~484mi (779km) — 8.1hrs
From Dallas: ~364mi (586km) — 6.1hrs
From El Paso: ~417mi (672km) — 7hrs
From Houston: ~603mi (971km) — 10.1hrs

When should I go? Whenever the mood strikes you!

Click here to see more Texas historical landmarks!

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