Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame
Sandy The Mammoth
Hello! My name is Sandy the Mammoth. I am a Columbian Mammoth that was found right here in Southeastern New Mexico. I was discovered by Delbert Sanderson (hence the name Sandy) in 2009. He brought a bone fragment in to Calvin Smith, the then Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, who knew what it was right away (he knows a lot about us Mammoths after helping with excavations at the Waco Mammoth Site in Waco, Texas). Calvin then led the excavation with the help of members of the Southeastern New Mexico Archaeological Society. They uncovered a femur, tibia, fibula, carpal, and rib. None of these bones can tell them if I’m a male or female which is another reason Sandy is a good name. The excavation has ended since there was no more of me down there but that brings up the question of where is the rest of me? My bones are currently in Albuquerque, NM at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science being prepared.
I have decided that it’s important to tell my story to the public. Many people do not know much about Columbian Mammoths or about the Ice Age when I lived (I could be 13,000 years old!) so I’ve embraced the technological age and have joined social networks: Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. If you are interested in learning more about me, my friends, and the time and place where I lived you should find and follow me! What I love is really the interaction with all of you. Did you know that Matthew Gray Gubler from the television show Criminal Minds likes to doodle in his spare time and agreed to draw me? It's the picture right here on this page! I would love to see what YOU think I would look like. Send me your sketches, doodles, drawings, paintings, etc to one of my social media sites. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Or maybe you like to write! Come up with a creative writing story about my life in the Ice Age and share it with me. Remember, I’m a Columbian Mammoth and not a Woolly Mammoths. I hope to hear from you soon!
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