Imagine digging in your backyard for a simple project and uncovering a piece of prehistoric history. That’s exactly what happened to Jarrod Cardinal, a resident of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, east of Edmonton, in a discovery that’s sparking excitement across his community.
A Surprising Find
While working on a project in his yard, Cardinal’s shovel struck something hard about six feet underground. At first, he didn’t think much of it. “It was getting dark, so I pulled it out and tossed it aside,” he said. It wasn’t until the next day that he took a closer look. “I thought it might be wood, but then I started wondering if it was a tusk,” he recalled, puzzled by the find.
Cardinal’s sister, Carol Buffalo, who was there when he unearthed the object, shared his astonishment. “We were like, ‘What’s a tusk doing here?’” she said.
A Prehistoric Treasure
To solve the mystery, Cardinal sent photos of the object to a paleontologist at the University of Alberta. The verdict? It was an authentic woolly mammoth tusk, a relic from a species that roamed Alberta thousands of years ago but vanished around 11,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. “The expert knew right away it was real,” Cardinal said. “I was blown away. I didn’t know what to think.”
Finding a mammoth tusk is a rare event, even in a region where these creatures once lived. “It’s a one-in-a-million chance to find something like that in your yard,” Buffalo said.
Community Buzz
The discovery has created a stir in Saddle Lake Cree Nation. “It’s become a big deal here,” Buffalo shared. “Everyone wants to see it because it’s not something you come across every day—it’s the kind of thing you only see in museums.” The tusk has turned Cardinal’s yard into a local attraction, with community members stopping by to catch a glimpse of this ancient artifact.
Preserving the Past
Out of respect for what else might lie beneath, Cardinal stopped digging to avoid damaging any other potential fossils. He’s holding onto the tusk for now but is open to further study by experts, including an examination of the site where it was found. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller offers guidance for anyone who uncovers a possible fossil: stop digging, take photos, record the location, and contact the museum by phone or email.
A Window to the Ice Age
Cardinal’s find is more than just a curiosity—it’s a tangible link to a world long gone, when woolly mammoths roamed the plains of what is now Alberta. For the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, it’s a reminder of the deep history beneath their feet, waiting to be uncovered. As Cardinal puts it, “I never thought I’d find something like this.” And yet, there it was, buried in his own backyard.
