Frenchtown Nj

[PAJim]

Has anyone attempted to collect at Nishisackawick Creek in Frenchtown NJ? Supposedly footprints, bivalves and fish fossils there? It's not far from me, but don't want to waste my time if it's pretty scarce or not allowed.

[Fossildude19]

I've never been, but it looks like it could be accessible.

Unfortunately, wasting time looking for things is a part of fossil hunting.

If I lived nearby, I would at least make a few exploratory trips.

Not finding fossils the first time is just an indication that you haven't found the right area.

Have you seen this paper? Look at the top of page 5.

Regards,

[PAJim]

On 7/29/2015 at 7:23 AM, Fossildude19 said:

I've never been, but it looks like it could be accessible.

Unfortunately, wasting time looking for things is a part of fossil hunting.

If I lived nearby, I would at least make a few exploratory trips.

Not finding fossils the first time is just an indication that you haven't found the right area.

Have you seen this paper? Look at the top of page 5.

Regards,

 

 

Thanks! Did a little reading there, looks like the general area should surely have something, it's just about finding the right spot with a 5 year old in tow....lol.

[BigKen]

I know this is an ancient thread, but I, too, have seen information pointing to fossils in this area and it really bummed me out.  Until 7 years ago, I had been a life long New Jersey resident (born and raised just minutes from the marl pit where the first semi complete hadrosaurus was found).  My former job used to take me to Frenchtown with some regularity.  (it is an awesome little town by the way... I guarantee that if somebody could magically teleport you there and then gave you a 1,000 chances to guess where  you were, you would no closer to guessing "Central New Jersey" on Guess No. 999 then you were on Guess No. 1). 

 

Anyway, Frenchtown is a rarity in New Jersey in that it is not close to any major highway.  No matter what route you choose to get there, the last 20 or so miles (at least) is by two lane winding roads through the hills.  As a result, it is difficult to gauge travel time there, and, when I had a meeting there, I would invariably get there an half hour or hour early.  With time to kill, I would usually park at the General Store (yes, Frenchtown has a general store rather than a convenience store.  It might be the only town in New Jersey that can say that!), get a cup of coffee and, if the weather was nice, walk over to the creek and drink my coffee while listening to the water rush downhill to the Delaware.  It was so peaceful and relaxing that, even though I was chugging caffeine, I could feel my blood pressure dropping and stress melting away.  I am just bummed out that I never thought to take three more steps down into the creek to see if there were any fossils in those rocks.... and, if there were, I could have scheduled a LOT of meetings in a way that would have given me a couple of hours afterwards to do some fossiling. 

 

Then again, this oversight is not nearly so egregious as what I did at one of my other major projects in this time frame, which was in Middletown.  I had to go there for weekly meetings, driving across Big Brook going there and back each and every time, without even realizing the treasure trove of fossils that were under my car each time.  I did that for the better part of three years and never once even thought to stop and take a look in the creek even though a lot of the meetings where afternoon meetings where I would not be back in time to go to the office so I could easily have spent several hours each week in Big Brook with somebody else paying for the gas and never having to miss a minute of work and without burning a minute of vacation or personal time to do it.           

 

 

[siteseer]

On 7/29/2015 at 4:23 AM, Fossildude19 said:

I've never been, but it looks like it could be accessible.

Unfortunately, wasting time looking for things is a part of fossil hunting.

If I lived nearby, I would at least make a few exploratory trips.

Not finding fossils the first time is just an indication that you haven't found the right area.

Have you seen this paper? Look at the top of page 5.

Regards,

 

 

Tim,

 

You are so right.  And not finding fossils the second or third time or not finding fossils when your two friends are finding fossils is also part of fossil hunting.

 

Jess

[Anna Marie]

On 7/29/2015 at 12:05 AM, PAJim said:

Has anyone attempted to collect at Nishisackawick Creek in Frenchtown NJ? Supposedly footprints, bivalves and fish fossils there? It's not far from me, but don't want to waste my time if it's pretty scarce or not allowed.

 

I'm very close to this area and may go. I know this thread is old and wondering if you've ever went? 

[Jeffrey P]

10 hours ago, Anna Marie said:

 

I'm very close to this area and may go. I know this thread is old and wondering if you've ever went? 

A lovely, serene place with plenty of rock to split. However, the laminated pieces which produced the tracks have vanished due to fossil hunting. I was there last year and found nothing. 

[Anna Marie]

12 hours ago, Jeffrey P said:

A lovely, serene place with plenty of rock to split. However, the laminated pieces which produced the tracks have vanished due to fossil hunting. I was there last year and found nothing. 

 

Thanks for the response! Well that's disappointing. Have you ever seen the old article about the Trilobites of Bucks County? 1950's I believe. Apparently from a old? quarry nearby. Cambrian. Claimed to, at the time have 20 species (18 of the trilobites) that were found nowhere else in the world. 

 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00357529.1966.11765556?journalCode=vram20