Ancient tree stumps find new home in Alexander

Thirteen ancient petrified tree stumps have found a new home on the front lawn of Alexander's museum after being unearthed during road construction in June.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the North Dakota Department of Transportation donated the stumps to Alexander's Lewis and Clark Trail Museum.

The stumps were dug up during construction of a highway bypass around Alexander last month. A Minnesota company doing roadwork piled them onto trucks and began hauling them east. The move upset local residents and prompted the Department of Transportation to collect the stumps from Alexandria, Minnesota-based Central Specialties.

The stumps are estimated to be 60 million years old.

Museum board member Tim McGowan says the stumps are fascinating to look at and make a great addition to the museum's collection.