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POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The donation of a mammoth bone found near Madrid sparked the construction of a new exhibit at the Jester Park Nature Center.

The exhibit opened Thursday to the public. It features many bones, fossils, and tools made thousands of years ago by the very first people who lived in this area.

One of the central attractions was that mammoth bone which lay in a creek bed for thousands of years before it was discovered by a Polk County man, who then stored it in a shoe box.

“I like to see some of these larger megafauna animals. They captivate my imagination and I think it is going to captivate a lot of kids and just the general public. To walk in and say ‘This is what Iowa use to be like.’ Ya, we have an amazing history and our state is not a boring state like some people think it is,” said Lewis Major, Naturalist with Polk County Conservation.

The Jester Park Nature Center will host an open house on Saturday between noon at 3:00 p.m. Guests will be able to view the display items and participate in some hands-on activities.