Gigantic mammoths, ancestors of today’s elephants, once roamed the High Plains of North America. Their remains, along with those of other prehistoric animals, lay undisturbed for over 26,000 years until their discovery in June 1974. Limestone deposits beneath the earth’s surface dissolved in water from underground springs, the land collapsed, and the resulting sinkhole filled with 95 degree water that drew mammoths to drink or feed on vegetation. Once in the water, they could not climb the slippery, steep incline, and many died of starvation or drowning. Remains of the giant short-faced bear, white-tailed prairie dog, fish, and other associated fauna have also been found there. As centuries passed, the sinkhole gradually filled as rain, snow, and wind deposited soil, leaving a hill of buried skeletons. The hill remained undisturbed until 1974, when excavation for a housing project by Phil and Elenora Anderson revealed bones and tusks. In 1975, Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota, Inc. was formed as a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the fossils and protecting and developing the site as an in-situ exhibit, with most excavated bones left exactly where they were found. In 1980, the Mammoth Site was designated a Registered National Natural Landmark by the Department of the Interior.

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Anonymous

Photo: Anonymous

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Photo: Anonymous

Hot Springs, South Dakota · USA