An Incredible Discovery

sarnia skeleton.jpg
Michael Spence was finding more bones in the couple’s backyard. They were not even animal bones but rather human bones! They belonged to an aboriginal woman. Spence had discovered a skull, femur, and ribcage. After an in-depth investigation, he could learn that this was a female, about 24 years old at the time of her death. The bones were all the way back from the 1500s or early 1600s. Her teeth suggested that she was from a hunting, gathering, and fishing society.

Her Origin?

sarnia bones.JPG
The origin of the person to whom the bones belonged was unknown but Ken and Nicole resided next to the Blue Water Bridge. It had been used as an Ojibwa trade network. The woman must have been one of those merchants. Once Spence proved that there was no foul play he called the Registrar of Cemeteries. Nicole was told that she had called upon an archaeologist and that the bill was her’s to pay.

The Burial

sarnia skeleton 2.jpg
The couple had to sadly pay for all of the archaeological assessment. Due to Ontario’s Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, the couple had to pay about $5,000 as their bill. Nicole could not believe this and contacted the mayor of Sarnia. Locals who had helped them even chipped in to pay the bill as well. The woman was properly buried at Aamjiwnaang First Nation cemetery. Another strange discovery was when a boy tripped over something incredible…

Amazing Encounter

las cruces.jpg
Jude Spark was just 9 years of age when he discovered something spectacular. He was having a stroll with his family in Las Cruces, New Mexico in November 2016 when he and his younger brother were running about and found something. He fell down and found himself next to something incredible. He had tripped on a fossilized wood that he explained, “It was an odd shape. I just knew it was not something that you usually find.”

Was It A Cow Skull?

nm fossil 2.jpg
Since their home was in a desert, Jude and his brother were often exposed to animal bones. Therefore, when he first saw the object his immediate assumption was that it was a cow skull. His parents, however, felt like it belonged to an elephant due to its size. “When we went home, we were trying to research,” Ms. Spark revealed, “It didn’t match perfectly with elephants, so then we said, O.K. I guess it was something else.” They spoke to a biology professor, Peter Houde, at New Mexico State University.

A Stegomastodon?

nm fossil.jpg
Peter Houde received the photos and did some background checking and almost immediately knew what it was. He could not believe that Jude had fallen over a fossilized tusk of a long-extinct Stegomastodon. The Stegomastodon may not be a dinosaur but was nevertheless very gigantic. It must have been from about 1.2 million years ago. The family was afraid of destroying the delicate finding so they kept the bones buried before a proper excavation could happen six months after. Next up, a man finds something unexpected in his property…