If you're like me, you've seen your fair share of wildlife around Mokena. There's not nearly as much around as there was when the town was still a rural farming community, but it's not uncommon to happen across deer, giant raccoons,(don't pet them) and if you know where to look, even foxes.
Would you believe it if I said that a type of wild horse used to be common in this area?
It's true. They roamed the future site of Mokena somewhere from ten thousand to one million years ago during the last Ice Age. The proof is in the pudding: An 11 year-old rock enthusiast named Peter Best discovered a giant leg bone sometime in late 1966. The Arbury Hills youth didn't recognize the bone, nor did he have a clue how old it could have been.He showed it to his science teacher at Willowcrest, who in turn sent it to a curator at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
The expert determined it as belonging to an "Equua", a direct ancestor of the modern horse. (Just imagine how excited Peter must have been about his find!) Millions of them must have found sustenance on the Great Plains, exactly where our houses now sit.
The whole story was documented in the Mokena News-Bulletin, our local newspaper in town that existed for around 50 or so years. (The above photo coming from the Thursday, January 5th, 1967 issue) Nick Gombash, an old buddy of mine from high school asked me about the article the other day. (If you're interested in genealogy, check out Nick's blog at http://nickmgombash.blogspot.com/. It's really cool reading)
Does anyone know if Mr. Best still lives in the area? I wonder what ever happened to the bone, or even where exactly in Mokena he found the ancient bone.
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