Company Profile
Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD Inc.
Company Overview
The Mammoth Site is a non-profit 501(c)(3) natural sciences research center and museum located in Hot Springs, SD and is an accredited museum with The American Alliance of Museums; Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota; We were founded as a non-profit in 1975;
Company History
In June 1974, heavy equipment operator George Hanson was leveling ground for a Hot Springs housing development planned by land owner Phil Anderson. Hanson was grading a small hill when his blade struck something that shone white in the sunlight. Hanson got out for a closer look. What he saw was a tusk, about seven feet long, sliced in half length wise, along with other bones. Mr. Anderson contacted three universities and colleges in South Dakota and one university in Nebraska, none of the 4 colleges were interested in the project nor did they have any desire to come and see what was discovered in Hot Springs.
Mr. Hanson then took some of the bones to his son Dan, who had taken classes in geology and archaeology. Dan Hanson realized these were no ordinary bones. He called his former college professor, Dr. Larry Agenbroad, who was on the faculty of Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska at the time, and asked him to come and take a look at the site. Dr. Agenbroad was in southeastern Arizona when Hanson called, excavating a site where mammoths had been hunted and killed.
The young Hanson kept a 24-hour vigil at the site until Dr. Agenbroad arrived about a week later. Dr. Agenbroad’s first look at the number of bones exposed by the bulldozer told him there were at least four to six mammoths. He knew there had to be more.
Because of another commitment at the Hudson-Meng Bison kill site near Crawford, NE, Dr. Agenbroad asked his colleague Dr. Jim Mead (now Site-Director), and several members of his Arizona dig crew to spend 10 days salvaging and stabilizing the bones, tusks, teeth, and skull fragments that had been exposed. Land owner, Phil Anderson, offered to halt his housing project until they had a better handle on what was there. This short excavation proved significant, as an unprecedented number of different species was uncovered.
The following year, in 1975, Drs. Agenbroad and Mead led a team of volunteer students to begin excavating the site. Interest in the mammoth graveyard grew rapidly after a complete skull with tusks intact was unearthed. They would dig in the summer months and rebury in the winter to preserve them. By the end of the 1975 summer excavation, Phil Anderson realized his 14 acres of land would be more valuable as a resource for scientific study rather than a housing development. Soon thereafter, through community commitment and Mr. Anderson’s generosity, the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) organization, was born and continues to grow with the support of foundations such as yours.
Adhering to the original commitment to education and research, the Mammoth Site established itself as an in-situ exhibit in which as many bones as possible are left in the ground where they were found. Each summer, visitors can watch as scientists and volunteers excavate in this working paleontological dig site.
The Mammoth Site has come a long way since its austere beginnings as an inconspicuous hill of dirt on the outskirts of Hot Springs. In 1986, A 20,000 square foot climate-controlled visitor center now covers the entirety of the sinkhole to replace the plywood shacks and enables visitors to view first hand this dig site all year round.
A 12,000 square foot addition was finished in May of 2001, and features a large exhibit area, laboratory, molding and casting area, bone storage, research library, classroom and offices. The Mammoth Site is the world’s largest mammoth research facility.
In 2012, The Mammoth Site became an accredited institution through the American Association of Museums (AAM). This accreditation is the highest national recognition for a museum; and shows our commitment to excellence in the areas of governance, collections, stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.
The Mammoth Site is rare in this regard; of the 17,500 museums in the United States only 1,021 or 5.8% are fully accredited. Of those 1,021 museums which have achieved accreditation from the AAM only about 8% are natural history museums. We are one of only four museums in South Dakota which is accredited, and the only accredited museum found in the Black Hills.
In September of 2014, the Mammoth Site broke ground on a new 5,800 square foot expansion on the new Learning Center for Science and Culture. This new Learning Center will incorporate; two new 53-seat theaters, additional exhibit and storage space; as well as moving the public restrooms inside.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
In 2012, The Mammoth Site became an accredited institution through the American Association of Museums (AAM). This accreditation is the highest national recognition for a museum; and shows our commitment to excellence in the areas of governance, collections, stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.
The Mammoth Site is rare in this regard; of the 17,500 museums in the United States only 1,021 or 5.8% are fully accredited. Of those 1,021 museums which have achieved accreditation from the AAM only about 8% are natural history museums. We are one of only four museums in South Dakota which is accredited, and the only accredited museum found in the Black Hills.
In September of 2014, the Mammoth Site broke ground on a new 5,800 square foot expansion on the new Learning Center for Science and Culture. This new Learning Center was completed in 2015 and will incorporate; two new 53-seat theaters, additional exhibit and storage space; as well as moving the public restrooms inside.
Benefits
You will live in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Hot Springs is known as the "Banana Belt" of the Black Hills.