Mastodon Bones Find Home
It has been a long time coming, but mastodon bones discovered on a farm just south of Angola in 1968 have finally found a permanent home at Walb Student Union on the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne. Work on the impressive glass case where the skeleton is now displayed wrapped up last week, just days before the start of the fall semester.
Maybe the only thing as impressive as the finished product is the story that played out behind the scenes to make it all a reality. It featured all the key elements: expertise and guidance from faculty; vision and enthusiasm from students; creativity; and a whole lot of patience. Ultimately, it was a $200,000 allocation of funds from PFW’s Student Government Association during the 2022-23 academic year that helped set the stage for a final sprint that was 56 years in the making.
The display case is located in the hallway that leads to the International Ballroom and near the student union’s new Herd Hideaway. To help celebrate its completion, PFW released a video, feature story, and image gallery that explains in greater detail the history of the project while also introducing just a few of the key figures who have helped make it possible.
Learn more about the skeleton’s journey from Steuben County to Walb by reading “New home for mastodon bones a true display of PFW school spirit.” And see how the story has been documented visually over the years by visiting this image gallery.
Already the only university in the country to have Mastodons as a nickname, PFW may also be nearing a new distinction with a more legislative flavor.
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, who is now running for Indiana governor, helped introduce the bipartisan National Fossil Act in January with U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan. That piece of legislation was passed by the Senate on July 29. Hoping for passage in the House of Representatives and a signature from the president, the goal is to designate the mastodon as America’s national fossil.
Purdue University Fort Wayne is the largest university in northeast Indiana and is part of the Purdue University system. Purdue Fort Wayne is uniquely positioned to serve the region as a crossroads of intellectual, social, economic, and cultural advancement. Rigorous academics are combined with a focus on student success across prestigious degree programs taught by more than 300 full-time faculty. More than 7,400 students of diverse ages, ethnicities, and nationalities pursue their education on the nearly 600-acre campus.
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