The U.P. Mammoth Site, Carbon County, Wyoming, USA: More Questions than Answers

In the summer of 1960, mammoth bones were discovered by a dragline operator in southern Wyoming at the Union Pacific (U.P.) Mammoth site. Although subsequent archaeological work during 1960 and 1961 identified artifacts in association with the mammoth remains, many authors have since questioned the nature of that association. Also, little has been published about the site other than a brief article in National Geographic Magazine in 1962. In this paper, we present additional information on the U.P. Mammoth site including stratigraphic profiles from the first author's geoarchaeological work in 1961, stratigraphic and spatial location of bones and artifacts derived from the original field notes, and new radiocarbon dates. Although the precise stratigraphic provenance for many artifacts and skeletal elements remains unclear, a compelling argument can be made for spatial and stratigraphic association of the mammoth remains with the artifact assemblage suggesting some kind of human interaction with the animal.