Coal Miners in North Dakota Unearth Mammoth Tusk Buried for Thousands of Years

Coal Miners in North Dakota Unearth Mammoth Tusk Buried for Thousands of Years
A mammoth tusk unearthed at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, N.D., in May 2023. Coleman Fredricks via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

BISMARCK, N.D.—The first person to spot it was a shovel operator working the overnight shift, eyeing a glint of white as he scooped up a giant mound of dirt and dropped it into a dump truck.

Later, after the truck driver dumped the load, a dozer driver was ready to flatten the dirt but stopped for a closer look when he, too, spotted that bit of white.