Mastodon State Historic Site, Paleontological excavation site in Imperial, Missouri, United States
Mastodon State Historic Site is an excavation area in Jefferson County containing ice age deposits. The grounds include a large bone bed with remains of various prehistoric creatures and a museum with exhibits.
The site gained attention when a Clovis culture spear point was found in 1979, showing that people and mastodons encountered each other. This discovery pushed back the known timeline of human presence in North America.
The museum displays replicas of animal bones and tools that show how early hunters lived in this area. Visitors can see how closely those ancient people were connected to the large creatures around them.
The grounds offer several hiking trails of different lengths and rest areas with picnic tables. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and bring plenty of water, especially on warm days.
The bone deposit here ranks among the largest ice age sites in the United States and holds one of the richest collections of prehistoric bones. Researchers continue to make new discoveries that deepen our understanding of these ancient animals.
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