The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-02-20

Fossil Fields Of Custer County.


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1.-The following sketch was written by Mrs.
Clawson for the MEssENGER on her visit to
Challis and the "Petrfned Trees" a number Of
years ago, but was never published. Il has re-
Gently come into our possession and we pub
lish 1t as faithful description OF the wonders
OF the locality mentioned which Is alrost
directly on the line OF the projected Idaho Mid
land Railway.-EDIToR MEssEsGER.1
Idaho has within the borders
OF her vast domain many natural
wonders and strange objects of
interest romantic lakes and
picturesque mountain ranges;
great river falls;vast, wild prairie
scenes; mines of fabulous wealth
cropping through the surface;
hot sulphur and iron springs;
living fountains of sparkling soda
waters; s;subterranean water cours-
es, and, in brief, something of
almost everything that combines
to make State useful and inter
esting alike to the resident and
transient visitor and tourist.
But the fossil fields of Custer
county, of which there is very
little known, still add something
worth while to the already well
provided "Old Curiosity Shop"
of the State. The locality known
as the 'Petrified Woods" is easy
of access, being situated three
miles south of the Salmon river,
about midway between the towns
of Clayton and Challis, and eight
miles from the noted mining
camp of Bayhorse. At Marshall
Station, on the south bank of
the river, begins a cutoff road,
or 'elbow" as it is called, leading
through the hills to the Black
foot ard Ketchum road, which
has been in use for years past by
Wood River and Salmon River
freighters. It is a good half
hours drive up this wagon route
from the Salmon River Stage
road to the so-called "Petrifed
Forest.'
eFor years past, cattle men and
others having occasion to go into
the hills south of the Salmon.
have brought away many rare
pieces of petrified wood, bark of
trees, and other manner OF odd
things usually picked up in local
tiles like this, and they had won
derful stories to tell of the great
stone trees and stumps that stood
upon the hillsides big as Egyptian
obelisks. But it was only a few
years past that people in the
vicinity began to go there on
purpose to see for themselves the
strange sights of which they had
heard so much. To many it
seemed impossible that there
could be trees twenty to forty
feet in circumference looming up
where nothing but scattered
bunch-gr stunted grease
wood and snarled age-brush
constitute the only visible life OF
the Salmon River Bad-Lands.
Yet once seen, it is very easy
to be convinced that these are,
or once were, trees and mammoth
ones at that, though they be now
only dead, stolid monuments OF
the departed glory that
must have environed this whole
country when in its tropical OF
semi tropical grandeur. When
trees like these grew and flourish
ed, the vegetable life of the Sal
mon River region could not have
been other than superlatively
grand and glorious.
Whether the trees are kin tc
the California redwoods, or the
yellow pines of Oregon anC
Washington, or of kind foreign
to the trees of our day, is left fol
the eye of science to speculate
upon. 1t does not require the
aptness of an expert to prove
that at present they are of the
hard wood species.
1t is only about fifteen minutes
walk from the road to the petri
factions. The country is mad,
up of low hills and quite deeI
ravines, but entirely accessible
The formation is principally
sedimentary, and nearer the foot
hills approaching the river, sand
stone is visible in places. Th'
petri6actions are very similar Il
those of the Bad-Lands o. Mon
tana, Dakota and Wyoming, ant
in the same kind Of country
Similar sections in the State
mentioned are prolific in fossil
and petrifactions. and the bone
OF many large animals and rep
tiles, are annually exhumed b,
the different geological and othe
parties sent there in the interest
of science.
So far no bones, I believe, hav
have been discovered in the Sal
mon River Fossil Fields; bu