Spirit the Columbian Mammoth in Fairview, Utah
In 1988 the remains of a full size Columbian Mammoth were found in the mountains of the Wasatch Plateau along what is now UT-31. The mammoth can now be seen in in the nearby Fairview Museum of History and Art.
The specimen was estimated to be around 15,000 years old and was found at an elevation of approximately 9,000 feet - at the time, the highest elevation ever recorded for a mammoth skeleton discovery.
The remains were discovered by accident in deep mud. Bulldozer operator Chris Nielson was working on the Huntington Reservoir Dam when he uncovered a large bone and a section of the tusk of the mammoth. Stunningly, the skeleton was 90 percent complete! Using detailed paleontological analysis, it was revealed that the mammoth had heavy tooth decay and arthritis, indicating the advanced age of the specimen at the time of his passing. His last meal included needles and twigs from a fir tree and some sedge leaves and seeds.
Although the actual recovered bones are kept at Utah State University's Eastern Prehistoric Museum, preserved under special conditions to prevent decay, the replica on display in Fairview is an accurate reconstruction of the skeleton and is currently the only way to view the mammoth's magnificent size and features.
Strangely, this is really the only paleontological thing you can find in the Fairview Museum. Instead of visiting this skeleton in a museum of natural history, the towering display is surrounded by two floors of donated pieces of art, rocks, regional art, historical displays, mining equipment, Clark Bronson bronze, and a tiny gift shop. The staff are all volunteers.
Lovingly nicknamed "Spirit", the Huntington Mammoth recently gained some notoriety after it was announced that Utah's new NHL team would be named the Utah Mammoth. Featuring in the official team launch video, Spirit has helped bring new visitors to the small but mighty Fairview Museum.
