Springfield, MO - Friday, July 26, 2013 was the 2nd Annual Mammoth Mile 5K at the Missouri Institute of Natural Science. The rain caused a last minute change in the course due to the bridge being flooded, but the event was still a huge success!! The rain stopped right before the 1 Mile Fun Runners took off and it turned out to be the perfect evening for a run. While at the event participants and their families were able to take tours of the Muesum, there were dig pits, bounce houses, pizza and much more!
The Missouri Institute of Natural Science was born on the heels of an amazing discovery. It was made while road crews were working on the construction of a new project just south of Springfield, Missouri. Charges were being set to blast through a large rock outcrop obstructing the path of the new road when an unusual call came in – all blasting was to cease immediately. It was the morning of September eleventh, 2001, and the World Trade Center in New York City had just been attacked.
Several holes had already been loaded with explosives, and as they could not be removed special permission was given to detonate only those currently in the ground. The blast revealed a previously unknown cave system, which came to be known as Riverbluff Cave. This cave was full of formations, fossils, claw marks and track left behind by animals that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, a time period more commonly known as the Ice Age. Dating techniques revealed that this was the oldest known Ice Age fossil cave in North America to date. International interest coupled with local recognition of the importance of the discovery led to the acquisition of approximately 50 acres of land above and surrounding Riverbluff Cave for the purpose of preserving and protecting the resource. The need for an entity capable of supporting, running and maintaining the resource soon became apparent, and in 2003 the Missouri Institute of Natural Science was officially formed. For further information about MINS go to monatsci.com
Thank you to all the volunteers sponsors and participants for helping to support such a great cause.
