A farmer found a “strange long” stone on the property: it turned out to be a real treasure for paleontologists (7 photos)

Please note that archaeological finds are discovered not only by scientists, but also by ordinary people. Moreover, such discoveries are often completely unexpected. This is what happened in this story.





When you wanted to dig a trench, but instead spent several days digging in the dirt

The farmer decided to “taste” all the delights of civilization and install a gas pipeline on the ranch. However, he did not know what awaited him. In this short text you will meet a farmer from Michigan, James Brisle, who made an incredible discovery that delighted and at the same time saddened experts.

Saving should be economical

One day, James, tired of paying huge electricity bills, decided to install a gas pipeline. The farmer's ranch had several barns that housed cattle. Heating large areas with electricity was extremely expensive, because Michigan is one of the northern states in the United States, which borders Canada. James also sold vegetables from his own greenhouses, which also needed to be heated.



There are many farms in Michigan, but more often they are engaged in livestock farming, rather than vegetable growing, like James

The farmer looked around the property and decided to start digging from the edge of his plot, where a small amount of soybeans grew. Since laying a gas pipeline is a serious matter, serious equipment was needed. James rented a heavy excavator and began digging a trench.

Something went wrong

The man specifically started work from the “soybean” field because he knew that there was soft, fertile soil without stones, clay and tree roots. In addition, he wanted to get used to working with heavy equipment and acted extremely carefully, especially since the excavator was rented. Gradually the trench became deeper, and James was able to relax. I was confident that everything would continue to go smoothly. However, the excavator's bucket soon hit something hard.

The farmer did not increase the pressure of the bucket, fearing that this would lead to breakdown of expensive equipment, and lifted the bucket from the trench. James wanted to see what was in the way and, taking a shovel, jumped into the hole.





James Bristle at the bottom of "his hole"

There, at the bottom, he began to dig by hand, suspecting that he would now stumble upon a stone or other durable rock. James swung the shovel for half an hour before he hit something hard and smooth at the same time. The farmer thought that it was a really big boulder and began to dig around it and then pull it out.

Some strange stone - help needed

James dug for several hours and found a strange, long “rock.” And then it dawned on him - this is a huge bone! James immediately realized that this bone could not belong to a cow or a bull, since it was too large. The farmer immediately rushed to his neighbors for help, and he managed to assemble a whole team of “diggers.”



The news of the unusual “stone” quickly attracted onlookers

All the next day a group of strong young men swung shovels. They managed to dig up a few more large bones, but they were not familiar with paleontology and therefore could not say exactly what kind of animal they found.

A few hours later, James came across a giant bone. Neighbors digging nearby found exactly the same one. Then the men began to dig even harder. Everyone was interested to know what kind of animal it was.

Mammoth, dinosaur or elephant?!

A few hours later, amateur archaeologists dug to the place where these bones converge. Then everything fell into place. Two huge bones, over 2 meters long, were tusks, “decorating” an equally impressive skull.



First finds

The farmers thought it was the remains of an elephant, but weren't sure. Then James decided to call real scientists from the local University of Michigan.

Professor Fischer arrived and was in seventh heaven. He immediately told James that he had found a real mammoth. Moreover, the bones and skull with tusks were in excellent condition.

Will not give it back! All is mine!

Professor Fisher called in a special technique. All the remains were carefully removed from the hole, although it no longer looked much like a trench.



Underpreparing to extract fossil animal remains

The scientist wanted to take the bones and skull to the university for further study, but James Brisle unexpectedly opposed this decision. The professor tried to persuade the stubborn farmer, but he did not agree. Archaeologists and paleontologists had to leave with nothing.

The fact is that according to US law, a landowner can dispose of finds that were discovered on his land at his own discretion. James quickly realized that these bones would help him improve his well-being and solve certain problems.



James chose to keep the discovered mammoth for himself.

And so it happened - the enterprising farmer displayed almost all the remains of the mammoth in his store, and people flocked to him like a river. James's store attracted amateur paleontologists from all over the country. In addition, no one left him without fresh meat and freshly picked aromatic vegetables.