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

How Did 27 Columbian Mammoths Fit in This Small Pit?

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 24, 2025

1. How Did 27 Columbian Mammoths Fit in This Small Pit? Marker

Inscription. Deep Down

Deep pit yields mammoth find
Pit 9 was far bigger than it now appears. Workers dug down 35 feet to find all its fossils. They pulled over 10,000 fossils from this one pit, including bones from 27 individual Columbian mammoths.

Jumbled Up

Bone jumbles take years to form
As in most La Brea pits, workers untangled fossils from dense bone jumbles. This jumble probably formed over many years.

bone jumble = a dense tangle of fossils typically found in La Brea's pits.

excavate = to dig up a fossil.

fossil = remains or impression of an animal of plant preserved by natural causes.

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

Location. 34° 3.862′ N, 118° 21.455′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Miracle Mile. 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

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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: Pit 9 (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Pit 9 (a few steps from this marker); What's in the crates? (a few steps from this marker); Project 23 (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. How Did 27 Columbian Mammoths Fit in This Small Pit? Marker

A photo of the small tar pit that produced the remains of 27 Columbian mammoths. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 24, 2025

3. A photo of the small tar pit that produced the remains of 27 Columbian mammoths.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 32 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 22, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.