EXPLORE! 

This place is a window where we can take a rare view 

into ancient Oregon. Looking through geologic and fossil 

records we can go back millions of years in time and find 

very different places than we see today. 

DISCOVER! 

You will discover an ancient world millions of years 

after dinosaurs roamed the earth. An age filled with 

lumbering rhinos and stalking saber-tooths. 

IMAGINE! 

Today, scientific discoveries happen right in 

front of you, as paleontologists unearth fossils 

never before seen by human eyes. 

Discovering John Day 

Fossil Beds

Safety First!

Hydrate: Be sure to drink lots of water while driving and hiking 

around John Day Fossil Beds. 

Get Comfortable: Wear good shoes, a hat, and sunscreen.

Take Care: Be careful where you put your hands and feet: snakes 

and spiders may be resting under rocks and in holes.

Be Good Company: Hike with other people. If you get lost, stay 

in one place.
84

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97

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26

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Prineville

John Day

Condon

218

Fossil

207

Mitchell

Spray

Dayville

CLARNO

PAINTED

HILLS

SHEEP

ROCK

Columbia River

N

Where did it happen on the Geologic Timeline? 

In geologic time, an epoch is a measure that’s shorter than a period, which is shorter than an era. 

Most of the fossils found here were deposited during the Cenozoic Era. Look at the timeline on the 

next page. Now draw lines here connecting the epoch name to when you think it happened. 

Paleocene 11,700 years ago - present day 

Eocene 55.8 Ma to 33.9 Ma

Pliocene 5.33 Ma to 2.58 Ma

Miocene 23 Ma to 5.33 Ma

Oligocene 33.9 Ma to 23 Ma

Pleistocene 2.58 Ma to 11,700 years ago

Holocene 65.5 Ma to 55.8 Ma

Map Your Visit

Where am I in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument?

The John Day Fossil Beds are unique with one of the longest and most continuous records of 

evolutionary change in the world. This 14,000—acre monument includes 3 very different units: 

Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno. Inside the dotted circles below, stamp your Jr. Ranger 

booklet at each unit when you stop there, or collect all 3 at the visitor center! 

NOTE: Ma (Megaannum)

is equal to one million 

years! Mega comes from 

ancient Greek and means 

million, the word annum

comes from ancient Latin 

and it means year. How 

many years do you think 

are in a Gigaannum (Ga)?
Different Places in Time — find out when they were!

Read the descriptions below. When you are done, go back and circle names of 

different eras and epochs in the text, then draw lines connecting them to where 

they belong in the timeline.

this way

to dinosaurs

this way to

present day

Geologic Timeline of the John Day Fossil Beds

60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 CE

Eocene Miocene

Pleistocene

Paleocene Oligocene Pliocene

Holocene

Millions of Years (Ma)

CENOZOIC ERA

Q

SHEEP ROCK UNIT

Places to explore! From the Blue Basin badlands to the amazing 

Cenozoic era fossils in the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, 

or from the historic James Cant Ranch to the large fossil deposits 

spanning the Oligocene and the Miocene epochs, Sheep Rock 

has something for everyone! 

CLARNO UNIT

Marching across the horizon, these 200 foot-tall pillars of ancient 

mud tower over the landscape. The Clarno Palisades preserve 

the remains of an Eocene tropical rainforest filled with crocodiles, 

banana trees, and brontotheres. Hiking the Clarno trails you will 

discover real fossils that tell a story of a place much different than 

the one we see in today’s Holocene epoch!

PAINTED HILLS UNIT

Like no other place in Oregon, a rainbow of colors splashes 

across these rolling hills, telling a story of the power of 

erosion and revealing remains from the Eocene and 

Oligocene epochs. The trails through the Painted Hills will 

take you to places like you’ve never seen before!

Find the Fossils!

Can you find them all? Inside this activity book there are bones scattered and hiding in different 

places. How many can you find? Circle the bones when you see them, when you are done write 

the number you found here. How many did you find? _______
Help put the Pogonodon Back Together! 

You can either try to draw the missing bones back in place, or draw lines pointing to 

where you think these bones should go. 

The Past is Present... Beneath Your Feet!

Think of something that surprised you, something unexpected that you 

learned today. What was it?

Assemble a Skeleton
Early Fossil Hunters

key role The Dalles University of Oregon paleontologists

fossils competitive John Day Fossil Beds 3,000 pounds 

Berkeley significant loss 1889

Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh were 

internationally known ___________________ who visited 

the region in the late 1800s. Cope was from the University of 

Pennsylvania, and Marsh came from Yale University. They were 

very______________, often debating each other over the 

many fossil discoveries each made across the country, much to 

the educational enjoyment of many Americans.

Thomas Condon, a Congregational Minister from _____________ [ a city in 

Oregon], was an avid naturalist when he first visited this valley in 1865 in search 

of ________________ . He was the first to recognize the importance of the 

__________ ________ ___________ ___________. Condon later 

became Oregon’s first State Geologist and the first professor of geology at the 

________________ ___ ________________ in Eugene, a remarkable 

person in early Oregon history. 

Paleontologist John C. Merriam, of the University of California, first visited 

the John Day Fossil Beds in 1899. It was the first of many _____________ 

expeditions sent here between 1899 and the 1920s. These expeditions played 

a _______ _________ in placing the John Day Fossil Beds in their geological, 

chronological, and paleoecological context.

William Berryman Scott, of Princeton University, visited here in _______. His 

team collected over _________ ___________ of fossils from the Turtle Cove 

area, which they sent back to the university. Later, after being stored in a cellar, 

workmen on a project pillaged and destroyed all but a few of the specimens, a 

_______________ ________ to science.

Complete this story about some of the first fossil collectors in the John Day Basin using the 

hints in parentheses or by referring to the word bank below.

Word Bank
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument conceals a treasure in rock layers. Careful research by 

scientists has revealed a changing landscape and climate. See how many of these plants and 

animals you can find in the museum gallery. 

Fill in your observations: find the fossil of each animal or plant shown below and record 

your observations in the column on the right.

Clarno Crocodile

A crocodile HERE?? What do you 

think the climate was like?

Turtle Cove Tortoise

Some things stay the same. Why 

do you think the tortoise of 28 Ma 

looks the same as a tortoise does 

today?

Banana

Bananas in a desert? What do you 

notice about the banana plant in 

the mural?

Early Horses

Three toes and no grass! They’re no 

larger than a small dog – what do 

you think they ate?

Bear Dogs

Not a dog. Not a bear. Then why do 

scientists call them Bear Dogs? Ask a 

Ranger where these names come from.

True Cat

Resting, hunting, or eating? Why do 

you think this cat is up in a tree? 

Fossil Gallery Scavenger Hunt

CAN YOU FIND THIS 

IN THE GALLERY? Answer a question or find and draw a matching fossil.
DR AW!

What kind of animal do you think could have lived in this scene? Use your imagination and draw your own!

Eubrontotherium

These huge brontotheres were 

similar to modern rhinos. What 

kinds of scenes might you find 

them in today?

Mylagaulid

These horned rodents lived in holes 

and had predator-proof heads. What 

do you think their horns were used 

for? 

Gomphothere

Imagine elephants here today! 

What do you think the smaller 

lower tusks were used for?

Pliohippus

A single hoof! What do you think 

makes this horse a “running 

machine”?

Entelodont

A “Terminator Pig”? Find the fossil 

and look at it. How do you think 

the mysterious bony flanges on the 

skull were used?

CAN YOU FIND THIS 

IN THE GALLERY? Answer a question or find and draw a matching fossil.
Orohippus

Equus

Miohippus

What’s in a Name?

Match the question to the horse pictured above and write your answer in the blank spaces.

1.) I became extinct on the North American Continent 10,000 years ago, I’m _ _ _ _ _ __

CLUE: Spanish explorers reintroduced them to the Americas in the 1530s. 

2.) I ran on tip-toes for a speedy get-away from hungry predators, I am _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

CLUE: Three-toed horses and short-faced dogs co-existed in the Turtle Cove area. Longer legs and fewer 

toes on each foot made them faster runners through forests and meadows. 

3.) I ran on the tips of only one toe-nail, I’m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

CLUE: Find where deciduous forests changed into open steppe with predators such as running bears 

and big cats. Increased running speed resulted from longer legs and single hooves. 

4.) I am twelve inches tall and eat no grass, I am _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

CLUE: This small horse ate only leaves, green shoots, and fruit while living in the Clarno Jungle. Four 

small toes on each foot spreads the weight out, helping to keep them from sinking into the mud. 

Pliohippus

A Horse, of Course!
ASK A R ANGE

? R

Fossil Beds Pongo Bingo

Explore and help Pongo find these!

As you explore John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, look for 

matches to what you see below. When you find one, draw a circle around 

the picture in the grid. Find at least five to score a PONGO. If you find five 

in a row — across, up, down, or diagonal — you score a PONGO BINGO!

(If you need help identifying any of these, just ask for help!)
1. From the parking lot, walk toward the Sheep Rock Overlook Trail, find the “go-devil” and a low sign 

called On the Road to History. How do you think early settlers traveled to this ranch before the roads 

and highways were built?

2. Between the ranch house and the barn, you’ll find some historic equipment with information about 

each: Hay Rake, Wagons, and Haystacker. How do you think these machines were powered? Do they 

remind you of any modern equipment or tools?

3. To the right of the equipment, read the Lifeblood of a Ranch sign. Where did water for the ranch 

come from? Why was it important? Where does water where you live come from? 

4. Visit the barn. Though it’s quiet now, it once served as the bustling business hub of the ranch. Inside, 

walk along the row of lambing pens or “jugs”. How many do you walk past?

5. Walk along the sheep shearing platform, and read the Shearing the Sheep sign. What is the shearedoff wool called? Can you think of some thing you use that is made of wool?

6. As you walk back to the parking lot do you see any fruit in the trees? Feel free to eat some fruit if it’s 

ripe! (Just don’t climb the trees – they are over 100 years old and very brittle!) If you lived here, what 

kinds of fruit trees would you want to grow? 

7. Do you think you would want to live the ranching life in this area 100 years ago? Why or why not?

Sheep & Cattle Ranching 

Follow the directions and search for the answers to the questions while exploring, then 

write your answers here. 

A Trail Through Time
Senses of Wonder

Take time to explore these places with your eyes, ears, nose, and fingers. Wake up your senses to 

better understand what’s all around you. Try these activities walking down the trail. 

LISTEN

Find a place to sit down and close your eyes. 

Listen to the sounds around you. Write down 

what you hear here. 

LOOK

Try a new angle... get down low to the ground 

and study the area around you. What do you 

see now?

TOUCH

Gently touch nearby plants. Can 

you describe what they feel like?

SMELL

As you travel through the park 

you may notice many scents. 

Describe some of the different 

smells you’ve encountered.
Hear, Here, and There

SOUNDS

Compare the kinds and levels of sounds you hear:

Home Here

ANIMALS

Describe the most interesting animals:

Home Here

ACTIVITIES

What kinds of activities do you like to do?

Home Here

HISTORIC SITES

What are the oldest buildings or artifacts you’ve seen?

Home Here

STEWARDSHIP

What are some things you can do to help protect these places?

Home Here

National monuments are very special places. That’s why people work hard 

to protect them, and it is a good reason to treat them with respect.

In the spaces provided, compare visiting John Day Fossil Beds National 

Monument with your own neighborhood using words or pictures. What 

makes each place special to you?