The Mastodon & Wooly Mammoth
Chapter II, History of Waverly, by Captain Charles L Albertson
First appearing in the weekly publication, Waverly Sun Recorder prior to 1942. Captain Albertson resided on a farm a few miles from Waverly as a youth. (Contributor – Mary Lou Palmer)
The massive monsters known as Mastodons & Wooly Mammoth's consisting of many species with unpronounceable names occupied this valley in considerable numbers at one time as shown by the many skeletons, or parts of same found at different times in this vicinity.
Miles C. Baldwin informed the writer that when excavating for the Chemung Valley Canal a short distance below the Erie Railroad depot at Chemung, where the canal entered the channel of the river they unearthed a large number of skeletons in a fair state of preservation, but when exposed to air and sunshine they rapidly disintegrated. The cause of such a large number of skeletons being discovered at this particular place was evidently due to this being where they came to drink or possibly cross the stream and became mired or fast in the clay.
About 1870 there was found on the north bank of the Chemung river midway between Chemung and Lowman, part of the skeleton of one of these monsters, which was buried several feet below the surface of the land and washed out by the current of the stream. Some idea of its enormous size may be estimated from the fact that one of its teeth weighed nine pounds; that some of them had tusks similar to the elephant is very evident from the fact that the name Che-mung signifies Big-horn in the Indian language. Whether they were contemporary with the moundbuilders of not we are unable to decide.
Miles C. Baldwin informed the writer that when excavating for the Chemung Valley Canal a short distance below the Erie Railroad depot at Chemung, where the canal entered the channel of the river they unearthed a large number of skeletons in a fair state of preservation, but when exposed to air and sunshine they rapidly disintegrated. The cause of such a large number of skeletons being discovered at this particular place was evidently due to this being where they came to drink or possibly cross the stream and became mired or fast in the clay.
About 1870 there was found on the north bank of the Chemung river midway between Chemung and Lowman, part of the skeleton of one of these monsters, which was buried several feet below the surface of the land and washed out by the current of the stream. Some idea of its enormous size may be estimated from the fact that one of its teeth weighed nine pounds; that some of them had tusks similar to the elephant is very evident from the fact that the name Che-mung signifies Big-horn in the Indian language. Whether they were contemporary with the moundbuilders of not we are unable to decide.
