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Ice Age Fossils of Woodburn, Oregon

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Ice Age Fossils of Woodburn, Oregon Woodburn Public Library Sites in Woodburn to see: The display at the Woodburn Pub- Woodburn Public Library has a collection lic Library features bones found of bones found throughout Woodburn. from 1987 to the present day. Ice Age Fossils of Some of the bones on display Legion Park has a playground with inter- come from animals that are now pretive panels describing digs and fossils Woodburn, extinct. All the bones represent from Woodburn. animals that lived over 13,000 Woodburn High School @WeBSS has a Oregon years ago. collection of bones and plant remains found by high school students including the Bison antiquus skeleton. Sites in the Willamette Valley to see: Tualatin City Library has a skeleton of a Mastodon and other ice age animals. Cabalas in Tualatin has casts of ice age fos- sils found in the Willamette Valley. University of Oregon Natural History Museum in Eugene has a display of Wood- burn fossils including the teratorn bones. Display assembled and interpreted by Mandible of a water shrew (smallest bone found) Visit www.willamettevalleypleistocene.com the Woodburn High School SMILE Club and Advisor David Ellingson for more fossil sites in Oregon The History of the Digs in Woodburn Woodburn, Oregon is a rural city locat- In 1987 sewer line repair work being done near The largest and most exciting find was ed in the heart of the Willamette Val- Woodburn High School uncovered bones of gi- made in September of 2008. While ley. Through the middle of the city, ant animals like Ground Sloths, Bison, Horses, Woodburn High School students were runs a slow moving body of water called and Bears. underway with their annual dig, an almost Mill Creek. Since 1987 scientists, vol- completely articulated skeleton of a large unteers, and high school students have Some of these animals are now extinct, but car- mammal was discovered. Students and been looking at an ancient ecosystem bon dating showed that they lived in Woodburn teachers sifted through the soil finding all beneath the surface that contains bones around 13,000 years ago. sizes of bones, some complete, others in of ice age animals. fragments. The bones were identified as an extinct ice age bison called Bison antiquus. Today, the skeleton is on display at the A drawing of a Teratorn found in Southern California To reach the soils of this ancient ecosys- In 1996 the Institute for Archaeological Studies tem heavy equipment is used to dig (IAS) under the direction of Drs. Alison Sten- trenches up to 20 feet deep. Over the ger and Chuck Hibbs began excavations at the years many bones from animals such as High School and at Legion Park. The most im- mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects portant discovery they made was in July of have been found. The soils also preserve 1999 when they discovered the bones of a giant plant remains, including seeds of bog ice age bird called a teratorn, which had a wing- bean and Oregon grape; wood and span between 12-14 ft. After careful research, it leaves from willows; and cones from was later determined that this bird was a new spruce trees. species, and was given the name Teratornis TheBison antiquus skeleton on display at the High School Together, these bones and plants pro- woodburnensis. The bones are currently being This added to the already large amount of vide an opportunity to look back at an kept at the University of Oregon, but there are bison bones found in Woodburn. Which environment that existed around casts of the bones on display at the Public Li- indicates that Woodburn and the 13,000 years ago. brary. Willamette Valley was full of all sizes and ages of bison during the ice age. .
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