Weidner Center Excavation

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

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Stratigraphy of the Weidner Center Pit

Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem....Cow? Bones

During excavation of the pit, bones were excavated by one of the shovels. The bones were not noticed in place, but the shovel operator said he thought the bones must have come from fairly far down. They were about the size of cow bones, but bovid bones are quite similar. If they were pre-European in age, they might have belonged to a woodland bison, an exciting prospect since there are no other records of bison in this area. If they came from a really deep level, they might even be a musk ox from the Pleistocene. However, the bones were suspiciously white and elastic to be truly ancient.

Radiocarbon dating showed the bones to be only about 150 years old - a cow from early settler days. However, the bones did not match any breeds preserved in the collection of the Agriculture Department at Madison. Apparently the cow was some "off brand" early European breed no longer in existence.

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Created 19 May 1999, Last Update 19 May 1999