George Washington, the first U.S. president, and mastodons, a prehistoric, tusked mammal, never lived at the same time, but a new sign erected by Washington’s Trail 1753 at Moraine State Park explains how the two are tangentially connected. The sign, posted at the junction of North Shore Drive and the North Country Trail, informs readers of the perils faced by Washington during his arduous trek that sparked the French and Indian War, as well as the natural history of the area and mastodons which lived there. “It’s exciting to know you’re walking in the footsteps of George Washington,” Harmony Museum President Rodney Gasch said.