Discovering the Nation's "Founding Fossils" | A New York Minute in History

It's a new season of A New York Minute in History! In this episode, Devin and Lauren dig into the 19th Century discovery of a mastodon skeleton in Orange County. The "Orange County Mastodon" was one of the earliest, if not the first, complete mastodon skeletons discovered in the U.S. As our hosts will learn, these large fossils captured the attention of many of America's Founding Fathers, who were determined to dispel the myth of American degeneracy. Marker of Focus: Mastodon Dig, Montgomery, Orange County Guests: Dr. Robert Feranec, director of Research and Collections, curator of Pleistocene vertebrate paleontology, and curator of mammalogy at the New York State Museum; and Dr. Bernard K. Means, project director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University, and co-author (with Maggie Colangelo) of Founding Monsters and Founding Monsters Tales A New York Minute In History is a production of the New York State Museum, WAMC, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King. Our theme is "Begrudge" by Darby. Further Reading: The Cohoes Mastodon: a virtual exhibit from the New York State Museum Bernard K. Means and Maggie Colangelo, Founding Monsters (2021) and Founding Monsters Tales (2021). Paul Semonin, American Monster: How the Nation’s First Prehistoric Creature Became a Symbol of National Identity (2000). Teacher Resources: Ice Age Mammals Colonize New York: A Stem Lab Derived from Collections-Based Research at the New York State Museum  Field Trip to the New York State Museum: A Closer Look at the Cohoes Mastodon Founding Monsters Teacher’s Guide Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) Credit: The New York State Museum is an approved provider of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). Educators can earn CTLE credit (.5 hours) by listening to this episode and completing