Before Europeans began settling in Iowa, our landscape looked much different-not just the vista views of prairies and oak savannas, but the wildlife that called it home. You’d be hard pressed to find many wild elk in Iowa today, but not that long ago, they roamed our state. The loss of habitat due to settlement, combined with overhunting and a lack of hunting laws and seasons, caused elk populations here to disappear. For many of us, when we think of elk, we envision wide open spaces in the western mountain states. But elk once called the expanse of Iowa prairies home, and in good numbers. Settlers and hunters took notice of the big game, which provided meat prized for both its quantity and quality. When the Iowa Territory was opened to settlement by the Federal Government in 1833, settlers found elk roaming across the prairies and prairie savannas of what eventually became the State of Iowa in 1846. Elk were reported by Iowa settlers as being more numerous than bison. The winter of 1856-1857 was very severe in Iowa, with deep snow and ice cover; elk herded together as a result and were killed in large numbers by settlers. It didn’t take long to push elk out of the state, with most of them extirpated by the 1860s. The last reported historical sighting of a native elk in Iowa was in 1871. I recently became aware of a piece of Iowa and Tama County’s natural history in the possession of Toledo resident Alan Lenhart better known by locals by his nickname “PeeWee”. In a recent conversation with Alan, I learned that he found an elk antler on a sandbar along the Iowa River near Chelsea sometime in the early 1990’s. In an attempt to preserve this piece of our natural history, Alan gave the antler to me. The antler is now on display at Marshall County’s Grimes Farm and Conservation Center near the coyote on display here. Only one other time during my 14-year career has someone notified me of having found an antler in Tama County once belonging to a native Iowa elk. Most antlers that are found are naturally shed; however, the antler that Alan found was not. Alan’s elk antler still has a piece of the animal’s skull attached to the antler, which indicates it was not a shed antler. Since this antler is not a shed, the elk that possessed it likely died in the fall or winter months. The antler measuring 40 inches long and possessing 6 points is in relatively good shape, which indicates it did not travel far in the Iowa River before being found. It therefore can be surmised that the elk that sported the antler that Alan found died in close proximity to what is now the Iowa River near Chelsea. The forces of time, particularly water, eventually uncovered the antler as Alan found it. In reference to the age of the antler, it would have to be older than 150 years given what we know about the history of native elk in this state. This antler very easily could predate the dates when Iowa became a state and when Tama County was formed (1843). The circumstances that led to this elk’s death are unknown. Did it drown trying to cross the river? Was it killed by predation? Was it killed by man? Or did it simply die of old age? We will never know how this animal met its end, but it is interesting to ponder. It is also interesting to ponder how this state has changed over the years especially the past 200. Finds like Alan’s prove that the observant individual can still find pieces of Iowa’s long lost natural heritage right here in Tama County. The character of our state has changed dramatically since our ancestors settled here. When the state was settled it was a true wilderness. This is no more evident than in relics of Iowa’s past which are still occasionally found today. These relics, like the antler mentioned above, give us a glimpse into a moment in time during our state’s history. These relics also represent animal and plant communities once found in this state that have long since disappeared.