Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 28, 1993 TAG: 9309280236
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEBANON LENGTH: Medium
The discovery was announced Monday at a news conference at the site, on a farm at the base of Clinch Mountain near the Russell-Washington county line.
Del. Clarence Phillips, D-Saint Paul, said the paleontology find included parts of both a woolly mammoth and mastodon.
He said two tusks have been removed so far, one of which is fairly intact. There have also been teeth, leg and foot bones recovered.
"The other thing unique is a lot of this stuff is not petrified," he said. Usually such remains have become rock-hard fossils over millions of years but, in this case, there are even some pine cones and plant fragments that are not fossilized.
An excavator brought in by the farm owner to pave the way for building a pond uncovered the first tusk shortly after he hit bedrock.
He recognized the object as something unusual. Charles Bartlett, a geologist based in Southwest Virginia, was called to the scene and helped remove it from the hole. He also started picking up what turned out to be teeth.
"Some of them weigh up to five or 10pounds," Phillips said.
He said the discovery was made several weeks ago, but was kept quiet until researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and Virginia Museum of Natural History, and some who have been involved with similar finds in the Saltville area of Washington and Smyth counties could verify what the findings were.
"They think it's one of the most unique and important finds anywhere in Virginia," Phillips said.
And it may be only the beginning. "They know that this area is much bigger than the tiny little area that they've excavated," he said.
Local officials hope to keep all the materials in Russell County, probably at the county library at first and later at the Pinnacles Park area, he said.
They also hope to have area students help excavate, preserve and classify some of the still-uncovered materials, Phillips said. "One of the most important things we want to do is make it an educational experience for students in Southwest Virginia."
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.