May 9, 1840
Mastodon bones are discovered in Missouri. Although the exact date of discovery is unknown, it was around this day that a farmer near current-day Imperial found large fossils that he wanted inspected. That led to “fossil showman” Albert Koch excavating the bones of not one but several mastodons, which he reconfigured into one gigantic beast that he called the Missouri Leviathan.
Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.
Photo— Vladislav Gajic
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