Wandering Through Waco

After spending the morning at Mother Neff SP, we decided to check out some things in Waco that we had never taken the time to see.

Baylor University Bear Habitat

First on the list was a stop at the bear habitat for Joy and Lady, the real life mascots on the Baylor University campus.  The habitat was beautiful, with grass, waterfall, wading pool, and several enclosures/caves.  It was less than ten years old and looked very well maintained.  However, the way the bears paced and walked in circles, I think they were at best very bored.  Apparently they get to go on walks across campus...I'd love to see that!

One of the bears doing laps

View of the bear habitat through the glass

Testing the water

Suspension Bridge

Next stop was the nearby Waco Suspension Bridge over the Brazos River.  Completed in 1870, it was built by local businessmen to provide a river crossing on the Chisholm Trail for cattle, pedestrians, and wagons and hence bring economic development to the city.

At the time, it was apparently the longest single-span suspension bridge (main span of 475 feet) in the world. 

The entire bridge and especially the twin double towers, made of more than 3 million locally made bricks, were considered engineering marvels of their time.  It was reportedly a model for the Brooklyn Bridge, which was built by the same company a decade later.
 

Looking towards the north (east) side of the river from the middle of the bridge

Pigeons enjoying the view from the bridge

Looking to the south (west) side of the river

The completion of the bridge was even more miraculous given the lack of transportation and construction infrastructure at that time:

Due to lack of machine shops in the Waco area, getting the materials to the building site was a journey in itself. The nearest railroad was 100 miles (160 km) away, and the closest town with artisans with the skills needed was Galveston, over 212 miles (341 km) from the build site. Supplies were loaded onto a steamer in Galveston, and ferried to Bryan. From there, they were loaded onto wagons pulled by oxen. The pothole-filled dirt road from Bryan to Waco was bad, even by 19th century Texas standards.

The bridge underwent significant modification, including replacement of the cables and steel reinforcement for the deck, in 1914.  It remained open to vehicle traffic until 1971, when it became pedestrian only.  It is still an impressive structure and interesting to walk across given that the decking is wood.


'Branding the Brazos' Cattle Drive Sculpture

Commemorating the cattle drives that crossed the river here is an impressive set of bronze sculptures at the west (south) entrance to the bridge.  The sculptures have already been over a decade in the making and thus far include a cowboy on horseback and multiple cattle.  It will eventually include three cowboys on horseback and a herd of 25 longhorn steers.  According to an article in the Waco Tribune earlier this year, the entire project may be finished by late 2013.  The work is being done by artist Robert Summers, who did the sculptures at Dallas Pioneer Park as well as some of the work we saw earlier this year on our travels through New Mexico.  It will definitely be worth a trip back to Waco to see it when it is completed.  I am also wondering if the foundry in Bastrop that is making these, Deep in the Heart Art Foundry, offers tours.  Based on their info on the web (e.g. here, here, or here), that would really be something to see!

These guys are big!

The first of three cowboys to be included in the completed set of sculptures

Three of the cattle near the entrance to the bridge.  Notice the City of Waco brand on their sides

The Frog in a steer traffic jam

 
Waco Mammoth Site

Last but certainly not least was the Waco Mammoth Site, on the northwest side of Waco.  A large animal bone was discovered by hikers exploring this area in 1978.  It was subsequently identified as being from a Columbian mammoth, an extinct species that dates back to the Pleistocene Era (2.5 million to 10,000 years ago).  Excavation resulted in the discovery of a complete skeleton and a whole lot more.  To date, 24 Columbian mammoths and at least one camel have been found at this site.  Research suggests that 19 of the mammoths were trapped by a flood event and perished approximately 68,000 years ago.  Bones from at least two later events are also present.  One event, which was 15,000 years after the first flood, involved a male (bull) mammoth, a female and a juvenile.


What is there to see at the site?   There is a climate controlled dig shelter and suspended walkway over several of the mammoth fossils and the camel fossil, all still in place.

Inside the entrance to the dig shelter.  The dig site is below and to the right.

Life size depiction of a bull Columbian mammoth.  The bones are in the pit in the foreground.

 

Map of the bones in the pit as seen from in front of the mammoth shown in the previous picture

Tusks of the bull mammoth (Mammoth Q)

Life size male Columbian mammoth, in this case 13.5 feet to the shoulder--2 to 4 feet taller than wooly mammoths which were not in Texas.  They stayed in colder climates further north.

This site is the only known discovery of a nursery herd (female mammoths and offspring) in North America and the largest known collection of Columbian mammoths to have died in a single event.  There is strong evidence that there are more bones to be found in the area. There have been several attempts to make the site a National Monument under the direction of the National Park Service, but each time that has become hung up in Congress.

The site is very interesting, but the tour was fantastic due to our particular tour guide.  Among the new factoids we discovered:  The climate during the Pleistocene Era was only about 5 degrees cooler than present day temperatures.  Most animals currently living in Texas also existed during the Pleistocene Era.  Among the extinct species was an armadillo the size of a VW bug.  Columbian mammoths, growing to more than 14 feet in height and weighing up to 10 tons, were one of the largest mammals to live during the Pleistocene Era and were considerably larger than their distant relatives the wooly mammoths.  Their teeth (the size of a shoebox) were continually being regenerated because they were worn down by the constant grazing.  The bones being excavated are very fragile because they have not become mineralized.  It is not yet understood why many large mammals became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene Era.

Needless to say, we really enjoyed our visit here.