07/30/2024 | Ren Lashley, Museum Day Camp Educator at The Museum of the Grand Prairie

In 2018, a visiting family was relaxing in the Middle Fork River when they noticed something sticking out of the mud. After digging it out of the riverbank, they initially assumed it was a cow skull and left it near the trail for other visitors to see.  Upon returning home, they did some research and discovered the skull was likely a bison, returning to the site the following day and taking the bison skull with them. They then reached out to the Museum & Education Department and gave the skull to the museum. 

The department then contacted the Illinois State Archaeology Survey at the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. Archeologists then visited the site and conducted a surface survey, where they found additional cranial fragments. After inspecting the bison skull, they determined that it belonged to an adult male bison, though the cause of death was difficult to determine. Radiocarbon dating by the Illinois State Geological Survey concluded with 91.1% accuracy that the bison died between 1636 and 1665 AD, making it nearly 400 years old!   

In 2019, the museum held a Bison Birthday program to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the skull’s discovery. Leading up to the celebrations, the museum hosted a naming poll on Facebook for the public to give a nickname to the bison. "Lenny" was chosen as his name, short for the Miami word for bison: Lenaswa. Lenny currently resides in the museum’s archives alongside his jaw and a miscellaneous bag of bone chips that fell off during the cleaning process. A picture hangs in the hallway connecting the museum to the Education Room for the CCPFD’s 75th Anniversary Exhibit! Check it out on your next museum visit!