Redwood City in San Mateo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pleistocene Period

2.6 Million - 11,700 Years Ago

— Stanford | Redwood City —

Pleistocene Period Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, September 9, 2022

1. Pleistocene Period Marker

Inscription. Fossilized bones were discovered on this site in 2017 during earthwork grading operations for the Stanford Redwood City campus. The bones were found at substantial depth below the ground surface. They were determined to be from the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago): a period of glaciations, extinction of many mammals, the last ice age and the dawn of humans.

As each fossil was unearthed, it was stabilized by the project paleontologist and removed from the site for cleaning and interpretation. One specimen was determined to be the left radius and ulna of a Camelops; most likely Camelops hesternus, a bone from a now extinct species of camel! The other specimens were more difficult to identify. It is like they are also from Camelops, but there is a lesser chance they are from a Bison antiguus - an extinct species of bison – or possibly a horse or elk.

(There is a small panel in braille below the main text)

Images:
(Top) Bones from an extinct species of camel (Camelops hesternus) were unearthed at this site during 2017 Stanford Redwood City earthwork grading operations.
(Bottom Left) Fossilized bones unearthed during grading in-situ.
(Bottom Right) Fossilized bones found during grading were studied in the laboratory.

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University.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Anthropology & Archaeology • Paleontology • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 2017.

Location. 37° 29.109′ N, 122° 12.195′ W. Marker is in Redwood City, California, in San Mateo County. It is on Broadway near Warrington Avenue, on the left when traveling west. The resin marker, one of eight, is mounted to a metal stand in the courtyard west of Discovery Hall on the Stanford Redwood City campus. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 455 Broadway, Redwood City CA 94063, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, September 9, 2022

2. Pleistocene Period Marker

of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Native Americans (here, next to this marker); Historic Connection (a few steps from this marker); Ampex Years (a few steps from this marker); Alta California (a few steps from this marker); Airfield (a few steps from this marker); Mezesville (within shouting distance of this marker); Horticultural Heritage (within shouting distance of this marker); Stage Station (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Redwood City.

Also see . . . Camelops hesternus on Wikipedia.

"Camelops is an extinct genus of camels that lived in North and Central America, ranging from Alaska to Guatemala..."

(Submitted on September 28, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, September 9, 2022

3. Pleistocene Period Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 279 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 28, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.