Trailside Museum of Natural History

Fort Robinson State Park  – Crawford, NE

A mural depicts a “Clash of the Titans,” two massive, bull Columbian mammoth locked in battle. On display in front of the mural are the actual skulls and tusks still interlocked, more than 10,000 years later. The site is Nebraska’s Little Badlands in the extreme northwest corner of the state. The fossils were uncovered in Dawes County in the summer of 1962; today they’re on display at the Trailside Museum of Natural History in Ft. Robinson State Park.

Research tells us that the two mammoths were both males about 40 years old and the battle probably occurred in the spring mating season when testrostrone levels were high. Both of the combatants had one previously broken tusk which enabled them to use the other as a saber. At some point in the battle the tusks become entangled and the two fought until one fell dragging the other down. Unable to regain footage the “mating game” led to their deaths. There they laid from the ice age until the 20th Century.

This dramatic display contains some of the rarest of fossil finds – internaitonal treasures. As we enter the University of Nebraska affiliated museum the skeletal remains of one of the mammoths (with casted skull and tusks) gives us an amazing view of how large these mammals were. While the museum is not large it is packed with quality displays and information. The volunteers when we visited were real knowledgable assets for visitors. Other fossils found in Nebraska on display  are an ancient rhino, giant tortoise and a mosasaur skull. When visiting be sure to take the stairs to the balcony for an overview of the full-standing mammoth.

When You Go: Trailside Museum of Natural History at Ft. Robinson State Park, 3 miles west of Crawford, NE, 308-665-2929, www.trailside.unl.edu.