Little Time Left to Visit the Kennewick Man Exhibit

There is little time left to see the Kennewick Man on Trial Traveling Exhibit. It will leave the museum on September 27th. Don't miss out on the opportunity to see this wonderful exhibit. We have been fortunate to have it here in our area.

Kennewick Man was about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and had a robust, muscular build. At the time of his death, he was between 30 and 50 years of age and had survived a projectile point wound in his right hip. The area of Eastern Washington where he was found was cooler and wetter 9,000 years ago than today, with grasslands and scattered pine forests covering the land. Ancient large bison, elk, deer, fish, freshwater shellfish, and plants were important sources of food. In the 1960s and 1970s, other human remains dating to 10,000 years ago were found just north of Kennewick with knives, spear blades, drills, spear-thrower parts, and other tools, as well as shell jewelry.

Illustration by Joyce Bergen, 1999.

An Accidental Discovery – On July 28, 1996, two men watching the annual hydro boat races at Columbia Park in Kennewick, WA, found part of a human skull on the bottom of the Columbia River about 10 feet from shore. Later deliberate searches turned up a nearly complete male skeleton with a projectile point – similar to the one in this photo – lodged in his right hip. This figure is now known as Kennewick Man. Scientists used radiocarbon dating on the remains and analyzed the projectile point to determine the age of Kennewick Man.
Image courtesy of the Burke Museum.

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