Why are there Columbian Mammoth silhouettes on Hwy 99 in Merced County?
MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Those driving on Highway 99 in Merced County might be wondering about the new Columbian Mammoths featured on the way to the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County.
The Columbian Mammoths are located at the 179 and 176 exits on Highway 99, which are the exits for Plainsburg Road and Le Grand Road in Merced County.
Officials with the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County say the credit goes to Caltrans, District 10, and the Madera County Arts Council for displaying the silhouettes of the Columbian Mammoths.
The museum houses mammoth bones and other fossils. A complete fossil of a Columbian mammoth tusk was first discovered in the area of Fairmead back in 1993, according to the San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies Policy Council.
