Central Washington University - Wenas Creek Mammoth Project

The Wenas Creek Mammoth Project is a Central Washington University (CWU) scientific investigation of mammoth bones found on private land in the Wenas Creek Valley near Selah, Washington. The investigation is interdisciplinary, using methods from paleontology, archaeology, and geography. The goal of the project is careful scientific recovery and analysis of bones and associated artifacts, while placing the finds into appropriate context of physical geography.

Announcements

Updated: 12/17/2010

A short (7 min.) video describing the project, a 3-D virtual tour of the dig (donated by High Sierra Productions), and a documentary film trailer are posted with links to the left. The full 40-minute documentary film about the first dig season, produced by Dr. Michael Ogden (CWU-Film & Video Studies Program), is currently in the film festival circuit.

The dig is now closed, and we do not plan to be digging in 2011. We will be shifting to lab work rather than excavation for the next several years. We are giving the site a rest because we have plenty of material to analyze and write about, and also because we have an ethical obligation to leave part of the site for future work. After all, methods and technology will no doubt continue to improve as the years go by, and much more may be learned from this site in the future. We plan to continue to provide talks to the public, and will post that information as it becomes available.

There is an exhibit at the Museum of Culture & Environment http://www.cwu.edu/~museum/ on the CWU campus, where visitors can see some of the finds of the project. The exhibit, in the first floor lobby of Dean Hall, is open to the public during campus building hours Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, and also while the museum gallery is open.

Please see the links at left for additional information about the project.