Chadillac1967 Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 As I've said, I'm new to collecting fossils but I have dove in head first. I had read about a place in Iowa called the Fossil Prairie Park in Rockford IA. This post is really for those of you just getting into this or for those of you who have kids that are into it or to the advanced that haven't had a chance to go to Fossil Prairie Park. Rockford IA sits in North Central Iowa near Mason City. From where I live in DeKalb, IL I was able to make it there in under 4 and half hours. The hills are steep and there is a lot of loose rock but all you have to do is bend over and you'll find traces of our Devonian past. There are ample corals, snails, clams, brachiopods, crinoids and other things to find. My daughter and I spent just a couple of hours there and found a ton of "Really cool stuff", as she'd say. We stayed in one small section the entire time and yet the finds were endless. Here is a small sampling of our finds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Nice finds! That is a fun place to hunt.. I was there twice when living in northwest Illinois.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I'm glad you 'dove right in', both to field collecting, and to posting good reports afterwards; we all appreciate the opportunity to 'come along'. "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...
vertman Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Very nice! There is nothing like those collecting times with your children. Very special indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinoid1 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Looks like y'all had a good day! Nice finds. Gabe I like crinoids...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilobiteruss Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 My favorite place in grade school and high school. I collected when it was still an active Brick and Tile area, the road cuts and old parts then were open for collecting. Many pleasant trips as a kid to find all kinds of cool Devonian fossils. I was glad when I heard they made this a fossil park. Very good use of an awesome and very fossiliferous place. There are a ton more treasures you can find there I am sure! Keep it up, thanks for sharing. I lived about 20 miles south at Hampton Iowa at the time, so my old stomping grounds! Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now