“There Were Elephants and Cureloms and Cumoms”

"The evidence for the association of early man in America with now-extinct animals, such as the horse, camels, elephant types, including mastodons and mammoths, and others is given in detail in three recent books: G. G. MacCurdy, (editor) Early Man as depicted by leading authorities at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, March, 1937, containing papers by thirty-six experts. Much material is given, and the suggestion is made that man may even have helped in the extinction of these animals. The second book is by M. R. Harrington, Gypsum Cave, Nevada, Southwest Museum Papers, No. 8, which tells of the work at Gypsum Cave and previous associations elsewhere of mammoth, mastodon, camel and horse with man, and there is a map showing twenty-three places where extinct animals have been associated with man in the United States.

“The third book is by H. M. Wormington, Ancient Man in North America. This book reviews various finds, for example, the finding of an arrow point under the left scapula bone of a large mammoth, near Angus, Nebraska, in 1931. The association of horse, mammoth, mastodon and elephant with early man is now so generally accepted that there is no need to present details of evidence in addition to those in the three books mentioned. Many authorities have given clear expression of this acceptance. A. V. Kidder in referring to various discoveries says these ’prove beyond possible doubt that man was present in the New World contemporaneously with many mammals now extinct.’ A. L. Kroeber: ’In an earlier stage, whale man’s numbers were few and his arts and weapons undeveloped, these species may have continued to live alongside him without serious molestation. Once better equipped and organized, Indian tribes may well have put an end to piedmont bison, horses, camels, mastodons, and mammoths; possibly in a few centuries in a given terrain.’” (Franklin S. Harris, Jr., The Book of Mormon: Message & Evidences, pp. 88-89)