Mammoth tusk found on Odessa ranch

8-foot tusk not first Ice Age artifact unearthed in the area

ODESSA — An old bone is rarely exciting, unless it is 8 feet long and more than 15,000 years old.

Odessa farmer Bill Kineer ran a loader on Wes and Fae King's ranch Nov. 9, picking up gravel from their private pit to build a farm road. He stopped scooping when he thought he uncovered a pipe. Closer inspection led him to realize it was a bone. A big one.

Kineer unearthed a Woolly Mammoth tusk, said Fae King. The right side tusk is believed to belong to a male Columbia mammoth, possibly 65 years old when it died between 15,000 to 30,000 years ago. The tusk is thought to have been deposited in the pit during the Missoula Flow, when water from melting Canadian glaciers moved along the Columbia River bed 14,000 years ago. Gravel was often left behind , along with pieces of bones, trees and other debris.

"This is pretty exciting. We have learned a lot," said Fae King.

After spending a day carefully digging the tusk out, the Kings called for help. University of Washington curator of special collections Bax Barton and Jake Shapely from Central Washington University came to their aid. Barton traveled to the ranch Saturday, 12 miles outside of Odessa, to spend the weekend looking over the tusk. Samples were taken, and Barton helped conjure a name for the find and gave instructions on how to save it.

Fae King said concluding a precise age for the tusk may take a long time. Samples were removed from the tusk pieces for further study. Barton told the Kings he plans to return in the spring to further investigate the site where it was found.

The roughly 8-foot long tusk is estimated to weigh 200 pounds. After considering a name, Fae King said they settled on calling it Wes King Ranch Quarry Tusk to provide reference for future studies.

The tusk hasn't been weighed. Fae King said the two ends broke when it was removed from the wall of the pit. It was moved only one more time to a well cellar to keep it in a damp, cool place. She said the current weight could be wrong due to the amount of water retained in the bone.

"When it dries, it could blow up into dust," said Fae King.

The Kings covered the tusk in moist towels to help prolong the drying process. If it works, they should be able to preserve the tusk. Then the Kings will decide what to do with it.

Her husband originally thought about donating it to the local Odessa museum. King said there are other local stories about people finding mammoth pieces, including another Odessa farmer who uncovered a tooth. A mammoth femur is featured in the Lincoln County Historical Museum in Davenport.

Finding a mammoth tusk has been an enjoyable experience, filled with lots of visits, inquiries and learning, said Fae King. This is the first time something this exciting has been found on the cattle ranch in four generations. She says all they can do now is wait to see if it survives.

"At least it has been a lot of fun," said Fae King.