Mammoth dig site in northwest North Dakota shows promise

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – A dig at a site believed to have mammoth bones shows it is worthy of further excavation, according to the North Dakota Geological Survey.

Mammoth bones were first discovered at the site in northwest North Dakota in 1988 during the construction of a garage. The North Dakota Geological Survey and state Historical Society returned to this site in September to confirm that mammoth bones are there.

Senior Paleontologist Clint Boyd said the fossil dig near the garage aligns with what construction workers reported and that there are likely more bones beneath the garage.

A dig site next to a garage in northwest North Dakota is shown on Sept. 19, 2024. The site revealed more bones of a mammoth, but more bones are likely beneath the garage. (Courtesy of North Dakota Geological Survey)

A dig below the garage would require money from the Legislature to move a portion of the garage, dig beneath and then restore the garage.

Boyd said there has been “great collaboration” with the property owner, who is not the same owner that built the garage.

Boyd reviewed the mammoth dig site and other archaeological explorations Tuesday with the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which oversees the agency.

Boyd said the woolly mammoth was likely not yet an adult and is about 13,500 years old, right about the time that evidence shows the first humans living in North America. He said no evidence of human activity has been found at the site.