The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-01-25
STORY OF ROCKS.
Turning Back the Pages in the Book of
Nature Fourteen Million Years.

A letter from Canon City, Col, to
The Denver Tribune says: Among the
innumerable natural curiosities of Colo
RADIO none possesses deeper interest
than what the people of Canon City are
given to calling "the bone-yard."
The vicinity presents the finest geo.
logical exposures have ever seen, the
little stream through whose canon you
approach the now renowned field, hav-
ing in many places the formations cut
clearly down three thousand feet,
showing all the qualifications. 1t would
be an ideal spot to start school of ge-
ology. The whole country round about
is much broken; and the dip of the rock
is such that in leaving Canon City you
pass over the exposed edge of every
formation from the tertiary to the silu-
rian, but the exposure only becomes of
unusual interest as you enter the canon
of Oil Creek, where the walls rise sheer
and clear-cut above you, showing the
stratification through many geological
periods. The bone-yard proper is but
seven or eight miles out from the town,
but the interest continues for the geo.
logical student for six or seven miles
beyond.
'There it is" said Capt. Felch, who
has charge of the operations of quarry
ing out the mastodons.. He was point
ing to a dizzy ledge of sandstone away
up the perpendicular side of the canyon
where a stretch of white rail-cloth pro-
tected the redeemed treasures from the
disintegrating action of the weather.
as this private enterprise of yours,
captainp" asked. "Do you sell these
mammoth bones to the biggest bidder,
or howp"
20 dear, no." replied the captain;
II am working in the interest of science,
not of the collector of curiosities. l
am getting out these evidences of the
life that existed on the world during
what is known as the Jurassic horizon
for Prof. Marsh, of Yale College,"
'And is this quarry your own prop
erty, and how did you discover these
bones in the rocksP"
'As to your first question, no; the
quarry is not mine, except by priority
of occupation; it is government land,
but it adjoins my ranch over there in
Garden Park, and am not likely to be
disturbed in my possession for it would
be useless to anybody else. As to how
/ came to discover this lost but most
interesting page from the great book of
nature, that was natural enough, we
are Yankee family with the native in
quisitiveness developed in special
line. We are naturalists. That odd
little girl there of mine, demure as she
seems, is a born student of nature; she
has made some rare and valuable col
lcctions of insects that have attracted
attention. She is not yet able to class
lily them completely, but you see she
has had no instruction, except what she
CLEANED herself from the scientific books
and periodicals which we have about
the house. My children discovered this
particular spot and drew my attention
to it. 1t is perfect geological mine;
but, as a matter Of fact, these saurian
remains abound in the Jurassic ex-
posures about here. They are, how
ever, found in this particular spot in
greater abundance and perfection than
anywhere else yet discovered"
How do you account for thatP" I
asked.
"Look at the confirmation here and I
think the reason will suggest ITSELF"
said the captain. "Some fourteen mill
ion years ago, that spot was doubtless
the mouth Of an old Jurassie river, and
therefore a natural feeding bed for the
semi-amphibious creatures whose re-
mains l am now excavating. The quarry
Is perfect mass of bones, and the va
riety of animal remains found is greater
than in almost any other place in the
world. Many of them, too, are highly
specialized.
"You are using that word in a tech
meal sense, captain; please explain" "
well, you see many of these re-
mains had already become known to
science, but we occasionally find some
having such well marked special chat
Is individually features as to require
new classification. Now I have Just
gotten out something think will prove
OF almost startling interest to scientific
minds"
"Not the missing link. is 1t captainp"
! asked banteringly. II
"Exactly, the missing link" he re-
piled with perfect soberness. "but per-
haps not the link you have in mind. It
is link, however, which Prof. Marsh
has long predicted would be found. .
link that connects two classes of AMI
NAL life 10 all appearance more dis
tinctly separate than the man and the
monkey-but / must not 20 into the
matter" he said, abruptly checking
himself as his enthusiasm was warm
ing up. ITO do SO would be to fore
stall the work of Prof. Marsh; Il would
In fact, be breach of trust"
The captain was willing enough, how
ever, to take me up to that high edge
and show me the sandstone quarry
where the bones are obtained.
The journey was worth pilgrimage.
Kate Field had been there the week be-
fore and was deeply interested. In
fact, though the place is practically un-
known to the millions, there are few
spots in Colorado that have received
the attention Of distinguished scholars.
There, distinctly visible In the soft
sand rock of the Jurassic era. in wnlcn