e wolf and two bison were uncovered. Other remains are still being identified. By microscopically studying the sediment and asphalt surrounding the bones, scientists were able to identify pollen, seeds and insects--providing a key to what those life forms were like thousands of years ago.
County's First Murder?
One curiosity of the La Brea discoveries is the remains of one human. The skull, jawbone and left femur of a young Chumash Indian-like woman were unearthed in 1914. Her death was apparently caused by a blunt instrument that crushed her skull. The remains were radiocarbon dated at 9,000 years old. The skull of her pet dog was found beside her.
Museum curators have created an interesting illusion from the La Brea woman, as she is called. Visitors peer through a glass at a cast of her remains which, with a slight shift of the eyes, become an Indian girl with long black hair clothed in a leather skirt. Was she the county's first murder victim? Evidence of the blow negates the possibility that, like the animals, she fell into the pit.
During the birthday celebration Friday from 10 to 11 a.m., Page will serve as a guide, fielding questions from the first group of schoolchildren scheduled to arrive by bus. Inevitably, they ask, "Were any dinosaurs found here?"
No. Dinosaurs were 65 million years extinct by the time the entrapment record began at the pits. Dinosaurs were reptiles, and Los Angeles was submerged beneath ocean waters when they existed. The fossils found in the pits are primarily mammals and birds.
Page, 85, watched on a recent Tuesday morning as people passed through the museum front door.
"I've been a museum buff all my life," he said, smiling. "I see buses lining the street bringing schoolchildren here. They also come to Los Angeles by chartered planes. It's a must for foreign tourists. People keep returning, bringing their friends. There is no letup in sight. This museum is living up to my fondest expectations."
The museum is at 5801 Wilshire Blvd., two blocks east of Fairfax Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults, $1.50 for seniors 62 and over and students with ID. Children 5 through 17 are 75 cents. Admission is free on the second Tuesday of each month.