New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-11-01
Nevada FOSSILS.
footprints of Enormous Animals-Petriaed Tree
AN Interesting Section.

footprints of Enormous Animals-PetriAed Trees
An Interesting Section.
Now that so much is being said about
The tracks of antediluvian elephants and
prehistoric man ut the State Prison quar-
~. near Carson, it may be that some of
che scientists OF the Pacific coast will
think it worth while to take = look at
the tracks beyond Dayton, near the
mouth of Ell Dorado canon. These
tracks are in rock that is denuded. We
have never examined them, but have
frequently heard them spoken of by Pro-
fessor W. F. Stewart (now dead), who
thought them very remarkable and of
much scientific Importance The tracks
are described as much the same as those
found at the state prison quarry. Though
Professor Stewart said nothing of the
tracks of human beings, he had good
deal to say of the tracks of mammoth
horses. These may have been the tracks
of elephants or of the mammoth. He
also spoke of great quantities of petri-
fled wood that was strewn about the
surface of the ground.
This would seem to indicate that the
ground was once the bottom of lake.
Indeed, all the low grounds in this part
of Nevada shows signs Of having been
covered by water in ancient times, and
also some plats of considerable altitude.
In 1860 we found petrified log of pine,
some thirty feet in length and eighteen
to the southeast of American Flat
Strewn over Spring valley there was also
at that time much petritied cedar, fir,
pine and other kinds of wood. The
prospectors were in the habit of ''sledg-
ing' these logs up, in order to get at
the knots, piece Of pitch and other parts
that would make handsome specimens
for cabinets. These logs were, no doubt,
the trunks of trees that had tloated
about on ancient lakes until they be-
came water-loggged, and sunk to the bot
tom. The random way in which they
were scattered about seemed to show
this.
In the year 1861, y big flood washed
| out a great number Of pctrified stumps
of trees along a ravine running from
near the old Daney Mine, Spring Val
ley, down the Carson river. These ap-
pcarcd to be the stumps of cotton-woods,
alders, and such trees us grow along
streams. The roots and all parts Of these
stumps were perfectly petrified.
In this region, however, nothing more
interesting is likely to be found than ap-
pears on the surface, but farther down
the Carson, and to the eastward of the
Sink, is section of country that would
be likely to yield much of value to q
careful scientific investigator. There is
in that region II large area Of recent
sand-rock, of coarse, Loose texture, and
Il granite-gray color.
Some four miles east of the Sink of
the Carson, an upheaval of granite has
so raised this sedimentary formation as
to show it to be about 800 feet in thick
ness. In many places large canons have
cut through this formation leaving near
ly perpendicular walls. In passing along
the canons, without making any special
examinations, we have found, sticking
in the walls, bones of small animals and
birds, bits of wood, twigs, and the like,
all black as though carbonized.
On the bank of deep canon, north
east of what is known as the Lower
Sink of the Carson, is place where is
to be seen a great quantity of petrified
wood of all kinds. A stratum of this
wood, some five feet thick, and exposed
along the canon for distance of over
100 yards, appears to have been a great
drift. All is so thoroughly petrifed and
so natural in appearance that at a dis
lance it seems to be lot of cord-wOod
stacked up on the bank of the canon.
Mingled with this petritied drift-wood
may perhaps be found the bones and
skeletons of animals, birds, and reptiles.
The bed Of petrited wood is covered to
depth of from three to five feet with
earth and gravel Virginia (Ner.) En-.
terpyise.