Five hundred thousand years ago in LaBelle, Florida, a meandering stream was the source of water for great herds of mammoths, mastodons, horses, llamas, sloths and other animals. During the dry season there may not be enough water to support the area's inhabitants, forcing wildlife to migrate to quench their thirst. During the summer rainy season, water was no problem--unless it was delivered during a hurricane or other major storm. Streams that would normally be shallow might quickly become graveyard deep...Click here to continue.
Calm After the Storm (1998 AD)
In 1998, I was driving from my home in Lehigh Acres, Florida to the town of LaBelle about 15-20 miles away. Enroute, I noticed big piles of dirt on the side of the road. Nearby was a retention pond the Florida Department of Transportation had just dug out for road-water run-off. Poking around in the piles, I noticed reddish brown fragments of bone everywhere. So I looked to the source, the pond itself, and bellied my way down to the bottom. The soupy clay and mud was only a few feet deep, so I raccooned with my hands, feeling around for the familiar texture of fossil bone. Within minutes I had unearthed a... Click here to continue.