Miracle Mile in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pits 3, 4, 61/67

These Three Tar Pits Are Ages Apart

— La Brea Tar Pits —

Pits 3, 4, 61/67 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 24, 2025

1. Pits 3, 4, 61/67 Marker

Inscription. Inside this fence are three old pits that were dug from 1913 to 1915. Because asphalt oozes, stops and bubbles up someplace new, these three pits contained fossils from different time periods. Animals that died within a few feet of where you are standing may have actually lived 20,000 years apart.

How old are the fossils?
The majority of fossils from these three pits range from 13,000 to 35,000 years old.

When did we dig here?
We excavated these pits from 1913 to 1915. We later found pits 61 and 67 contained parts of one big fossil deposit, so Pit 61 and 67 became one pit (61/67).

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Paleontology.

Location. 34° 3.836′ N, 118° 21.423′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Miracle Mile. It can be reached from Wilshire Boulevard, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located within Hancock Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse 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 walking distance of this marker: Tar seeps form Ice Age time capsules (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Pits 3, 4, 61/67 (within shouting distance of this marker); Death Trap for Meat-Eaters

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Chester Stock Ph.D. (within shouting distance of this marker); Pit 91 (within shouting distance of this marker); Project 23 (within shouting distance of this marker); What's in the crates? (within shouting distance of this marker); Pit 9 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 24, 2025

2. Pits 3, 4, 61/67 Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 36 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 20, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.