The Old Vero Ice Age Site Committee kicked off the start of its fourth excavation season with a Mammoth Celebration at Quail Valley River Club last Monday evening that was 14,000 years in the making.
Over cocktails, guests milled about, pondering a collection of Vero Dig artifacts on display and chatting with Principal Investigator James Adovasio, Lead Archaeologist Andrew Hemmings and members of the dig team.
After a Razzle-Dazzle raffle, featuring Elite Airway tickets, paintings and wine, attendees viewed a video about the latest finds and learned of future plans as they dug into a prime rib dinner with baked Alaska for dessert.
In 1913 workers for the Indian River Farms Company discovered fossilized bones from extinct mammoths, mastodons, saber-tooth tigers and bear sloths while dredging the Main Relief Canal. Two years later, the Vero Man remains were uncovered.
But the discovery of Vero Man (what may actually have been Vero Woman) has been riddled with questions and was later discredited as a legitimate find, the cloud of uncertainty hovering as the bones went missing.
Nearly a century later, Dr. Barbara Purdy, University of Florida professor emerita of archaeology and anthropology, dated a human-inscribed mammoth bone found near the site by James Kennedy as originating from between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago. That discovery and validation renewed interest in the site, and OVIASC was formed.
As the third dig season came to a close in April 2016, the bones of several extinct mammals were excavated; among them bones thought to be from extinct Bison.
With the rainy season and summer’s threat of hurricanes approaching, the team had to fill in the bone bed and wait to continue their work, but was able to take measurements in situ and produce a likeness of the bone fossil for display during the gala.
They have just finished removing the overburden from the bone bed at the main site and are again ready to begin the painstaking process of discovering what remains hidden a mere 10 feet under the surface.
“What a great way to start the dig season,” said Randy Old, OVIASC chairperson. “We are starting with the knowledge that we’ve got a whole lot of work to do, but we already know there is something there waiting for us.”
Within the archaeological community, the Vero Man site is considered the most extensive Paleoindian excavation currently underway in North America. OVIASC is committed to supporting the excavation of Ice Age sites in Indian River County and educating the public on significant findings.
“We’ve had such great support from the community. We have about 1,500 volunteers but would love more,” announced Old. “Everyone is welcome to visit and volunteer.”
State grants and local donors have funded the endeavor and Old added, “Tonight is about thanking people for all they’ve done. People have been so generous. We are thrilled with the current site and are looking forward to exploring other areas of the county.”
Public tours of the site at the northeast corner of the Indian River County Administration Complex are conducted at 1 p.m. Thursday thru Monday through April 30. To schedule a visit, call 772-226-9278. To learn more or volunteer, visit OVIASC.org.
