Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

In the late 1880s, Nebraska rancher James Cook finds a bone sticking out of a hillside and presumes it to be that of a horse. It wasn’t. Some odd corkscrew-shaped formations embedded in the cliffs nearby drew Erwin Barbour from the University of Nebraska, who soon realized this was a fossilized burrow of an ancient prairie dog ancestor.

Barbour moved on to other work, but O. A. Peterson from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum continued work, and he discovered what can be called “the motherlode”! Fossils of unknown animals, some complete, and bonebeds of what are almost graveyards of animals dating back 19 to 23 million years.

After years of excavations and studies of the fossils, scientists believe the land around Agate Fossil Beds National Monument used to be similar to today’s Serengeti in eastern Africa. The grasslands supported a variety of herbivores, while carnivores feasted on the herbivores.

Using studies of the Serengeti, and what they gleaned from the fossils, the current opinion is that the large herbivores would graze near a water source. Unfortunately, not being ecologically conscious, they would overgraze and need to move away from the water. This cycle of overgrazing and moving continued until they were too far from the water source. They would often die near the water along with numerous others, creating a boneyard of fossils.

The Visitor Center has a nice video on the discovery of fossils at Agate, and research that was done here. It also has several cast replicas of fossils rebuilt to show the size of the different animals, along with display cases of actual fossils collected here.

There is also a display of gifts give to James Cook by the local native tribes. He had always maintained a good relationship with the Chief and often had gatherings on his property. The Chief gave many gifts and keepsakes to Cook for safekeeping, unsure what would happen to him and his tribe. Cook demonstrated that the native peoples and new settlers could coexist with proper mutual respect.

There were a couple of short (1.0 and 2.7 mile) trails on the site. We tried the 1.0 that led up to some of the intiial finds. My daughter was able to walk the entire route, while I had to stop as it steepened and the new knee said “Go no more”. I still enjoyed what walking I was able to do.

Steve