WASHINGTON (July 27, 2009)—The U.S. House passed a bill Monday evening authored by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, that would make the Waco Mammoth Site a national monument under the National Park Service.

The measure was approved by 220 Democrats and 157 Republicans with 35 Democrats and 21 Republicans not voting.

“This is great news for Central Texas and the supporters of the historic Waco Mammoth site,” Edwards said Monday evening.

“ The Waco Mammoth Site is truly an American treasure. It represents unique living history that deserves to be preserved and protected for the education and enjoyment of families and children throughout Texas and this great nation for many years to come,” he said.

Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison have filed a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.

The legislation endorses a plan that would permit the Park Service to join an existing partnership between Waco and Baylor University to protect and preserve the site and to promote visitor tourism.

As part of the National Park System, the Waco Mammoth site will be an incredible educational tool for Central Texas schools and students,” Edwards said.

“It will also become a major tourist attraction that will bring visitors and researchers to Waco from across the nation and throughout the world.

“When this legislation becomes law, the Waco Mammoth site will join the ranks of American landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Fort Sumter, and George Washington’s birthplace,” he said.

The site, which was discovered more than 30 years ago, contains the largest known concentration of mammoths that died in a single event.

A painstaking excavation of the site has uncovered the remains of 25 Columbian mammoths that died nearly 68,000 years ago, probably after they were caught in a flash flood.

Work started last year on construction of a permanent protective cover and viewing pavilion at the site.