Elsah, Illinois

Students and faculty at the Elsah, Illinois, college concluded the excavation of the mastodon’s skull on Thursday. A college staff member found the ancient creature’s remains in 2022 by accident.

A facilities worker discovered a tusk while digging on campus in 2023. This is the fourth archeological excavation on campus.

In the past year, Principia, which has 300 students, has bested much larger schools like Boston University and the University of Texas at Dallas.