Central LA in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pit 9

— La Brea Tar Pits —

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 24, 2025

1. Pit 9 Marker

Inscription. When excavators unearthed giant leg bones in Pit 9 from 1914 to 1915, they made a major find. Most of La Brea's Columbian mammoth and American mastodon fossils came from this pit.

Hidden Trap
See how the leaves and twigs conceal the tar's sticky surface? One false step and this hidden trap could take down a 12-foot-tall Columbian mammoth. You'd become a fossil too - stuck, if no one was around to pull you out.

Photo caption: Pit 9 Fossil Dig, 1914: Digging a 35-foot deep pit by hand here, workers found over 10,000 fossils. With mammoth and mastodon bones, they also found fossils from short-faced bears, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, camels, horses, and ground sloths.

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

Location. 34° 3.861′ N, 118° 21.454′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Central LA. It can be reached from West 6th Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located in Hancock Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5902 W 6th Street, 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: How Did 27 Columbian Mammoths Fit in This Small Pit? (here, next to this marker); What's in the crates? (a few steps

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from this marker); Project 23 (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Pit 9 (a few steps from this marker); Project 23: Who, What, Why, Where, and How? (a few steps from this marker); Pit 91 (within shouting distance of this marker); Pits 3, 4, 61/67 (within shouting distance of this marker); Death Trap for Meat-Eaters (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. Pit 9 Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 30 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 22, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.