Over 80K artifacts, specimens donated to Idaho Falls museum

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Private land owners have donated 80,000 artifacts and specimens that were found inside caves on their land to an Idaho Falls museum.

A statement by the Museum of Idaho says the artifacts and specimens were found inside three caves in the desert west of Idaho Falls on land owned by Leonard Wasden and his brother-in-law Kenneth Huskinson.

The Post Register reported Wednesday the Wasden site is considered one of the earliest places in the Northwest where human tools are associated with mammoths.

According to the museum, archaeologists from the Upper Snake River Prehistoric Society and Idaho State University that excavated at the site determined it was likely a prehistoric kill site for large game.

The museum says some items are up to 14,000 years old.

They include mammoth, bison and camel remains.

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Information from: Post Register, http://www.postregister.com