Mastadon    5 miles     (Marked with White ) 

Mastodons, Boy Scouts and hiking: what is the relationship of these three? Everyone knows Boy Scouts and hiking go together, but MAST-ODONS?! Mastodon: a dweller of the spruce forests; name translated means “nipple tooth” from the conical shape of the cusps of the tooth; height at the shoulders - 9°6”. One was 14°11” tall and was found near Newbrugh, New York in 1845.

 It is now displayed at the  American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Mastodons roamed the earth for many thousands of years and may have been present after the last glaciation of the Ice Age. This would have been about 8,000 years ago.

The Mastodon has played an important part in telling scientists about our earth’s forest and plants of many, many thousands of years ago. Not only have fossil bones been found in large numbers all over the northern hemisphere, but many complete well-preserved animals have also been uncovered. Most have been discovered still frozen in the Arctic areas.

One such Mastodon was found at Beremvka River, Siberia in May 1901. Just imagine the scientists’ task of traveling 2,000 miles by boat and dog sled across the Siberian wilderness, averaging only 15 miles a day at times.  After this ordeal, geologists found a mastodon still covered by frozen earth with only a small part of the animal exposed.

They believe the Mastodon was crossing a snow bridge and plunged into the deep crevice. The Crevice must have been several hundred feet deep. The animal broke its leg in the fall, was covered with tons of loose snow and remained in the frozen snow and ice for thousands of years until the natives discovered it by the odor of the small exposed part of the front leg, This find told the scientists many things about what the Mastodon ate, the size of the animal and where it lived. The mead of the frozen Mastodon was preserved as if it had been recently placed in a modern deep freezer.

 Other recent discoveries have also provided skeletons in perfect condition and bones with tendon masses still attached. Food from the last meal eaten has been found wedged between teeth and has provided clues to the plant life of the time. 

As forest dwelling animals, the skeletons of the dead Mastodons  would usually decay quickly. Mastodons are so numerous that some people believe the animals might have outnumbered the buffalo, that later populated the Great Plains. We know they lived in the northern- most part of the earth and favored the boggy terrain.

For an excellent book about Mastodons, we recommend “Mammoths, Mastodons and Man”, by Robert Silerberg. It is available at your school or local library.

 We have given you only a short summary about the Mastodon, but what does this have to do with the new hiking trek? Well! In the spring of 1969, workmen were busy laying water pipes to the wilderness camp area at the Anthony Wayne Reservation. Crossing the road along the bog near Means Canoe Base, the digger hit a large bone.

Needless to say, it caused a great amount of excitement. Geologists were called and other bones were found. However, with summer camp near at hand, and with the discovery being in the middle of the road to camp, time was not available to do a proper job of excavating. So the site was covered and hopefully will be reopened someday to see if the entire skeleton is present. The lower jaw, part of the skull and small rib section have been preserved and scientist estimates that they are about 14, 000 years old.  We do have 1 of the bones on display at our Trading Post in camp!! Mastodon - the past; hiking - the present; and Boy Scouting -the men of the future. This all adds up to a great adventure!