Phoenixflood Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 After some preparation, and a little bit of flying by the seat of our pants, Obsessed1 Tuscaroratreasurehunter and I, PhoenixFlood, made our way up to PA to the world Famous site of St. Clair. I picked OB1 up north or me and then drove up to TTHs. He took us the rest of the journey. It was over 200 miles probably from where I am to where we were going but I was excited to get back to the mountain and see what has changed over the years. A new Walmart popped up, and a mini mall but over all the town of St. Clair was like I remembered it although I forgot exactly how to get to the parking spot that leads to the trail. We drove around and eventually found it. There we met a car that had already stopped and were ready to leave. I asked if this is where to park to find fossils and they excitably said yes. Seems like they had a good trip. I was ready to get out and go! We loaded up all our gear and with hammers, chisels and buckets in hand we were ready to go! TTH even brought a deer cart to carry out our load, which I am very glad he did, we ended up with a lot! Well we started down the trail and a fellow comes up walking up with a pistol on one side of his belt and a knife on the other side. I thought ‘oh, snarge, maybe he’s part of the mining company and was hired to run people off.’ I was a little afraid for a minute until he started saying he comes up he to visit where his son used to hunt. He had passed away and he would come up to visit his tree stand. We talked for a while and I was itching to hunt, but I felt bad for this guy and asked if he wanted to come with us. He said no but he told us he had never seen so many fossil hunters at one place in his life. Over the years he has seen whole buses come up to the site! He also warned us to watch out for mountain lions, and bears. At least I didn’t have to worry about him shooting me now, just worried about getting mauled It wasn’t too long till we made it to a nice spot and started to dig. And dig, and dig. I took off and started surface collecting and breaking shale apart, OB1 went off somewhere and TTH hunkered down in one spot and chiseled himself a nice spot. We all had some good finds. Wasn’t long before I found part of what looked like a tree, didn’t have the heart to hammer into and take it out because it wasn’t that stable. So I left it there and took a little piece. OB1 got a picture of it. I piled up a lot of orange ferns as well as some white. I had two buckets full by the time we got out of there and was glad to had the deer cart to pull all or gear. Pulling that thing up a rocky road with a whole lot of fossils was fun but we made it back to the truck after having to carry it by hand over a boulder obstacle that was too narrow for our wheel to squeeze through. We took off and headed for some other nearby sites but everything was really over grown. Found a few things though. Over all it was a very good day, although a very long one. I woke up at 5:30 am to get up there and didn’t get home until 11:30 pm. I enjoyed spending time with my fellow fossil hunters and talking with them. Thanks again guys for a great trip! Here are a few of the site and some random pictures of my finds OB1 and TTH looking for ferns My bucket of ferns The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 well that was a very nice trip report, and a good topic title too! congrats on having a great experience and some nice new fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Someone please move this to the hunting trips thread The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Great report, and it seems like a great haul. I hope to hear some good war stories in chat. Edit: Moved for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Great finds and congrats on finding the place ok! There are enough ferns in St. Clair to keep the world supplied for years to come. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn835 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Nice haul, sorry I missed it. Maybe the next time you guys are in the area, we can hit a thrust fault I just found out about. In the same general area. But will have to be weekend hunt, and we'lle need that cart to haul the beer cooler. With rocks in my head, and fossils in my heart.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I have a couple of those that I got from a friend that went there. It's nice to see where they came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Nice haul, sound like ya'll had a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Phoenixflood..... Thanks for that...... locality photos are great, and what a good idea.... and very nice fossils you collected... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat shark Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Nice finds! It looks like you guys had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 St. Clair...I haven't seen pics of that place for a long time. I don't think you can beat the beauty of those white ferns. I one bought some in the past and gave one as a Christmas gift. Others then were all saying they wanted one for their beauty. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Thanks everyone here is a pic for OB1 of that fossil I was talking about The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttoneer Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Phoenixflood said: After some preparation, and a little bit of flying by the seat of our pants, Obsessed1 Tuscaroratreasurehunter and I, PhoenixFlood, made our way up to PA to the world Famous site of St. Clair. I picked OB1 up north or me and then drove up to TTHs. He took us the rest of the journey. It was over 200 miles probably from where I am to where we were going but I was excited to get back to the mountain and see what has changed over the years. A new Walmart popped up, and a mini mall but over all the town of St. Clair was like I remembered it although I forgot exactly how to get to the parking spot that leads to the trail. We drove around and eventually found it. There we met a car that had already stopped and were ready to leave. I asked if this is where to park to find fossils and they excitably said yes. Seems like they had a good trip. I was ready to get out and go! We loaded up all our gear and with hammers, chisels and buckets in hand we were ready to go! TTH even brought a deer cart to carry out our load, which I am very glad he did, we ended up with a lot! Well we started down the trail and a fellow comes up walking up with a pistol on one side of his belt and a knife on the other side. I thought ‘oh, snarge, maybe he’s part of the mining company and was hired to run people off.’ I was a little afraid for a minute until he started saying he comes up he to visit where his son used to hunt. He had passed away and he would come up to visit his tree stand. We talked for a while and I was itching to hunt, but I felt bad for this guy and asked if he wanted to come with us. He said no but he told us he had never seen so many fossil hunters at one place in his life. Over the years he has seen whole buses come up to the site! He also warned us to watch out for mountain lions, and bears. At least I didn’t have to worry about him shooting me now, just worried about getting mauled What a wonderful trip. I know exactly how to get there. I just have to get my husband in gear, have him build one of those deer carts & off we go. He was going to take his rascal scooter with the wagon hitched to it, but when you mentioned that boulder, That stumps us. Just how close to the site is that boulder, or how close is it to the parking area? Did you run into any inspectors from the Reading Anthracite Company? Would a weekday trip be better? I'd be concerned about running into one of those "birds." Thanks. Judy Showers It wasn’t too long till we made it to a nice spot and started to dig. And dig, and dig. I took off and started surface collecting and breaking shale apart, OB1 went off somewhere and TTH hunkered down in one spot and chiseled himself a nice spot. We all had some good finds. Wasn’t long before I found part of what looked like a tree, didn’t have the heart to hammer into and take it out because it wasn’t that stable. So I left it there and took a little piece. OB1 got a picture of it. I piled up a lot of orange ferns as well as some white. I had two buckets full by the time we got out of there and was glad to had the deer cart to pull all or gear. Pulling that thing up a rocky road with a whole lot of fossils was fun but we made it back to the truck after having to carry it by hand over a boulder obstacle that was too narrow for our wheel to squeeze through. We took off and headed for some other nearby sites but everything was really over grown. Found a few things though. Over all it was a very good day, although a very long one. I woke up at 5:30 am to get up there and didn’t get home until 11:30 pm. I enjoyed spending time with my fellow fossil hunters and talking with them. Thanks again guys for a great trip! Here are a few of the site and some random pictures of my finds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttoneer Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 What a trip!!! I know exactly how to get to this site, but will not go alone. I am trying to sweet talk my husband into building one of those deer carts and visit the site. He was going to take his Rascal Scooter, which is hitched up to a wagon, and unload it from the car & take it to the site, but since you mentioned that boulder, I am wondering if the scooter idea will work or not. How far from the collecting site or the parking area is the boulder? Did you encounter any of those Reading Anthracite "inspectors"? Would a weekday be better than a weekend for hunting. Is it 1/2 mile each way to and from the site from the parking area? I have many questions. I purchased some of these fossils from an elderly man who collects them and the ones I have are black with white fossils on it. Could you wash the orange ones to remove the orange so you could see the white kaolin or would that ruin it? Please bear with me. I am a newbie but very excited and enthused. Thanks. I'll be putting a Ralston trip in that I took with my club 5/16/09. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 What a trip!!! I know exactly how to get to this site, but will not go alone. I am trying to sweet talk my husband into building one of those deer carts and visit the site. He was going to take his Rascal Scooter, which is hitched up to a wagon, and unload it from the car & take it to the site, but since you mentioned that boulder, I am wondering if the scooter idea will work or not. How far from the collecting site or the parking area is the boulder? Did you encounter any of those Reading Anthracite "inspectors"? Would a weekday be better than a weekend for hunting. Is it 1/2 mile each way to and from the site from the parking area? I have many questions. I purchased some of these fossils from an elderly man who collects them and the ones I have are black with white fossils on it. Could you wash the orange ones to remove the orange so you could see the white kaolin or would that ruin it? Please bear with me. I am a newbie but very excited and enthused. Thanks. I'll be putting a Ralston trip in that I took with my club 5/16/09. Hi, That's okay, questions are fine Reading Anthracite "inspectors" ???? what do you mean? The boulder is right at the parking area at the start of the path and is about as wide to get a person through. You may not be able to get your cart through It is probably less than a mile to get to the site. We followed a side path that sent us out to a shale field that had no ferns, we just turned and walked left to get to the ferns for a while. You want to go to the left as soon as you see a new path. I think weekdays are always better for hunting but there is so much there you will be ok if there are other people there. I wouldn't wash it. I picked up mainly the orange ones because they seemed more rare, at least to me. But there are many more out there that just have white on them as well. Can't wait to see you post and pics of the trip Always glad to help. We are always glad to have fossil enthusiast here! The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverphoenix Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Awesome trip report and great finds! I wouldn't mind visiting a site like that one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
va paleo Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 very nice finds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 What a nice report, almost like being there with y'all! Did you come across any good bass ponds up there? Fishing/Fossilin' combo trip comes to mind! Some of those strip mine ponds have some huge bass in them. Honestly, the trouble for me with combo trips is that when I'm fishing, I'm thinking fossilin' so I'm not on my fishin' game, and when I'm fossilin', I'm wondering if the bass are bitin'! It's almost as bad as the fish or cut bait paradigm. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Honestly, the trouble for me with combo trips is that when I'm fishing, I'm thinking fossilin' so I'm not on my fishin' game... Last year at Calvert (first time in many years), I had to spit my gum out before I could find any teeth... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttoneer Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 I believe the Reading Anthracite Company owns this site (not sure) and have read that occasionally, they have inspectors checking the site out for collectors but ya know, this site is so !@#$%^&* big, I doubt if we could even put a "dent" in it. I am trying & trying to talk my husband into going but we probably won't go until Sept when the weather is a bit cooler. Now he wants to make a deer cart out of 20 inch bicycle tires, bicycle frame (just like the photo above). What we can do is to lift the cart over the boulder (dont know how high this boulder is), and collect, put the fossils in buckets in the cart & when we get to the boulder, take them out & attach a rope to them & pull them over the boulder. Isn't there any other entrance to that pit besides climbing over a boulder? Thanks, Judy Showers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 I believe the Reading Anthracite Company owns this site (not sure) and have read that occasionally, they have inspectors checking the site out for collectors but ya know, this site is so !@#$%^&* big, I doubt if we could even put a "dent" in it. I am trying & trying to talk my husband into going but we probably won't go until Sept when the weather is a bit cooler. Now he wants to make a deer cart out of 20 inch bicycle tires, bicycle frame (just like the photo above). What we can do is to lift the cart over the boulder (dont know how high this boulder is), and collect, put the fossils in buckets in the cart & when we get to the boulder, take them out & attach a rope to them & pull them over the boulder. Isn't there any other entrance to that pit besides climbing over a boulder? Thanks, Judy Showers I wouldn't wash any of the specimens you find from St. Clair. The white mineral present on many pieces is very delicate and will very easily wash off if you scrub even lightly. If the rock was wet when you picked it up, let it dry out completely before rinsing off. My experiences have shown me that rising an already wet or fresh specimen will often remove the white mineral. The orange stain is due to iron staining. You could try to remove that with some Iron out, but I don't know what that will do to the fossils. That area is full of old trails and current four wheeler/dirt bike trails. I'm sure you could find another way in there. One day when I was there someone had driven a van into the site. I would suggest parking at the road and walking in. If you drive into the site then you risk someone getting upset. This is a very special site and everyone needs to be careful what you bring in and out and how you treat the site. Technically it's already been "reclaimed" although it could be redone to more current standards at any time. There used to be another pit across the road from it but it's been completely reclaimed and is now a meadow. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttoneer Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Reclaimed means filling it in to make a meadow? Oh my hair is standing up at that one. I did do a Google earth on St. Clair and got some astonishingly great photos of it. Printed them out for future reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I was able to make a trip down there also about a month ago and found lots of beautiful specimens also. I found the iron stained ones to be the most common type. I dug exactly where you dug, above the large puddle and wasn't happy with what we were finding so we kept moving to newer spots to sample. Where we found our best ferns was where another path comes into the quarry...which would be if you took the first left trail off the main trail in..it would bring you to this other opening. The ferns we collected there were perfectly, exquisitely white. I brought home a couple pieces with a little ironstaining on them...but the pure white ones were what I sought. I even have a couple that are silver in color, this I found to be rare, so beautiful I thought so I collected all I found. Here are a few pics from my trip. I brought home a ton of ferns, lol...next time we know to take a cart of some sort, it took forever to carry it all back to the parking area, so many long, long trips back and forth...but I couldn't leave anything behind because I fell in love with each and everyone of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn835 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 awesome find !! With rocks in my head, and fossils in my heart.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Congratulations, Sue! They are seductive... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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