Digging the 13,600-year-old remains of a mastodon out of an Iowa creek bed isn't exactly easy work, but preserving those waterlogged remains was even harder.
On this episode, we revisit the long, hard process of preserving Dolly the Mastodon. In 2024, University of Iowa archaeologists excavated the first-ever well-preserved mastodon skull found in the state.
The skull has since been cleaned and preserved at the Office of the State Archaeologist and will be transported to its permanent home at the Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County, with a ribbon cutting on Sept. 26.
We witness the final progress with State Archaeologist John Doershuk and Mike Eklund, who's been consulting on the work. We also talk with museum director Brenda DeVore about her work preparing the new exhibit, and we hear from lead Dolly preparator and University of Iowa junior Will Sprengelmeyer.
Guests:
- John Doershuk, state archaeologist, director, Office of the State Archaeologist
- Brenda DeVore, director, Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County
- Mike Eklund, fossil preparator consultant
- Will Sprengelmeyer, lead fossil preparator, junior majoring in environmental bioscience with biology minor, University of Iowa
