Elkhart Historical Society presents 'Elephants in Lincoln: A Mammoth Discovery'

[August 03, 2012]  ELKHART -- In a dinner lecture Aug. 17 at the Wild Hare Café in Elkhart, Dennis Campbell will present a "big game safari" in search of elephants in Lincoln. The evening event will begin at 5:30 and is sponsored by the Elkhart Historical Society.

In the past seven years a remarkable number of Ice Age fossils have been discovered in the creeks around Lincoln. Geology and biology students at Lincoln College have been involved with some spectacular finds -- including the discovery of a woolly mammoth, presently considered one of the largest and last woolly mammoths on the continent. The presentation in Elkhart will detail the discovery of Judd, the Lincoln College woolly mammoth, by Judd McCullum, a Lincoln College student. Since that discovery on Lincoln College property in 2005, local residents have revealed to the college and to scientists at the Illinois State Museum many new records of additional Pleistocene mammal species that lived in this area thousands of years ago.

Campbell, who holds a doctorate in zoology from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has been a professor of biology and geology at Lincoln College in Lincoln for almost 20 years. He is currently engaged in the development of Creekside: an outdoor environmental education center at nearby Sugar Creek for use by the college and local community organizations. Although a native of Texas, he has worked as a biologist throughout the South Pacific, Mexico and the United States.

His lecture to the Elkhart Historical Society on bats last October was educational and entertaining. The mammoth presentation promises to be another excellent evening.

Call 217-947-2238 for reservations; then go to the Elkhart Historical Society website, www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, to download a reservation form, or pick one up at Horsefeathers in Elkhart, IL

The Elkhart Historical Society is also accepting reservations for its September event, "An Enchanted Evening at the Cro'hurst Mansion." This is an evening of music, food and drink on the beautiful Elkhart Hill. The date is Sept. 9 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Those who attended the event last year enjoyed a memorable evening. It's a perfect way to say goodbye to summer.

Reservations are limited. For reservations, call 217-947-2238; then go to the Elkhart Historical Society website, www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, to download a reservation form, or pick one up at Horsefeathers in Elkhart.

For additional information, contact Gillette Ransom at 217-947-2238 or Gini Bertoni at [e-mail].