Mammoth Bones Found at Oregon State's Reser Stadium During Construction

Animal bones dating back to the Ice Age, including a potential femur from a mammoth, were discovered this week at the Reser Stadium construction site at Oregon State University.

Anthony Rimel of the Corvallis Gazette-Times passed along word of the rare find. OSU spokesman Steve Clark provided the outlet with further details about what was found.

"We believe we have an intact femur from a mammoth," Clark said. "There also appear to be bones from other species, including possibly a bison and a camel."

The report noted that work was being done in the area where the new locker room for the Beavers football team will be constructed.

"Maybe the archaeologist can tell you if it's good luck," deputy athletics director Mark Massari said.

Beavers Football provided some pictures from the site:

Joseph Rose of the Oregonian commented on the discovery:

The university has closed off the area around the discovery to the public to prevent it from being disturbed. The Corvallis Gazette-Times noted it is being examined by one of the school's associate professors of anthropology before archaeology students are allowed to sift through the site.

"They're really giddy because usually when they find these things they have to drive three hours to get to them," Massari said.

Superstitious members of the Oregon State community will surely hope the Ice Age find leads to better fortunes for the football program. The Beavers are coming off a 2-10 season that included a 2-4 record at Reser Stadium.