Kennewick Man Display

On, Sunday afternoon, July 28, 1996 two young men Will Thomas and Dave Deacy, were wading along the banks of the Columbia River at the upper edge of Columbia Park, in Kennewick Washington, when one of them stepped on a skull about 1 ? feet under water. The skull was part of an almost complete skeleton that which was to become known as the ?Kennewick Man? The unearthing of the remarkably well preserved skeleton, which may be over 9,000 years old, sparked a heated controversy among the scientific world, American Indian Tribal leaders and the Army Corp of Engineers. The skeleton was 5 feet 9 inches tall, sometime in his life he had a 2-inch long spear point lodged in his right hip. The point about 1 inch wide, round on one end and jagged on the other. The point was completely lodged in his hip and the bone had healed over the old injury. It had split the bone when it hit, meaning the point was traveling fast. He had all of his teeth, with no cavities, the male skeleton believed to be in his fifties had also suffered a crushed chest, based on healed over broken ribs, which had permanently crippled his left arm. The skull condition indicated he died of some type of infection. The actual skeleton is now sequestered at the Burke Museum in Seattle, under lock and key. Before the removal of the skeleton to Seattle, a casting pattern was made of the actual skull and is on display here in our museum. We have compiled information, and storyboards along with any up to date articles in the continuing controversy to study the skeleton.

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