Mammoth Relics Unearthed Near Wallula
Biological experts confirm rare prehistoric discovery along the banks of the Columbia River.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Last May, a trapper in the service of the United States biological survey discovered horns and bones near Wallula. At that time, S. G. Jewett identified them as the bones of some variety of the mammoth. They were sent to Washington, D.C., where experts confirmed the horns belonged to an extinct species of buffalo and the bones were indeed those of a mammoth. The department stated that if more bones are located in the district, an official of the government will be sent to perform a thorough and scientific excavation.
“The letter said that if there were more bones to be found in the district, an official of the government will be sent to make a thoro examination.”
The Wallula Gap region remains a significant area for geological and paleontological study. This 1916 report reflects the early 20th-century enthusiasm for cataloging the natural history of the Columbia Basin.
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