Ray Eklund Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 In 1970 I found an outstanding fossil location about 2 or 3 miles north of Oldenburg on the one road going through town. You stay to the left (west) and when you find the creek following the paved road on the west side... you are there. There is a turnoff that the farm's owners uses to take his tractor to the field and cross the creek. It is flowing all year round. The erosion along the stream bank has unlimited numbers of weathered out fossiliferous shale-limestone slabs with partial Isotelus and Flexicalymenes. The true treasures were in the creek bed shales when split, large Isotelus gigus were found in good numbers. Absolutely perfectly preserved and split well when wet. I would lay them out in the shade to dry out and the shell would not fracture and break off. They were all laying flat. The Flexicalymene meeki were rolled and flat. From pea size to that of a nickel in the shale and washed into gravel beds on bends in the creek. I told a person about my find when leaving Indianapolis while stationed there for a couple months. They came back, or someone they obviously knew and paid the farmer $500 to "quarry the location" out. The farm house is about a mile north and a turn to the east. I could not find the name of the farmer, who would be deceased by now, but his nephew was the next of kin and is probably working the farm today. New homes were being built in the area as well along the east side of the road. Inquire to the current owner of the field and you will then have the right person to ask. Since I FOUND THIS LOCATION I am offering this to anyone interested. But, please respect the property rights of the owner and if there is a current fossil collector leasing a part of the creek bed. I am sure there are lots of specimens to be discovered in this brushy slow moving creek. After 44 years the memory is very clear to me. I did not realize I had discovered a unique spot in an area that would not have been discovered by any method but by accident. I was at the Tucson Rock Show last February and saw a 12 inch or so Isotelus mounted on the wall with "inquire as to price" and a person interested. It said "Oldenburg, Indiana" and he was the person who had leased this patch of ground. He sold it while I was there. Once you can GPS the elevation of the strata, there could be other sites available to work. I just remember this farmer riding his big tractor down the road to see what I was finding that day. I gave him a very large Quartz Crystal many years later when I took my wife to see this spot... to discover it had been bull dozed out. You cannot get them all, I say. Good luck. Check with the current owner and be prepared to find all the slabs you could ever carry washing out of the creek bank and maybe... there are some trilobites missed in the tailings. I am sorry I have no photographs, but might have some color slides that can be digitized if there is much interest. You might have heard of Waldron, Indiana and the Waldron Shale. This location did not have any crinoids, but sure had all of the partial trilobites and scattered brachiopod shells you could ever expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Ray, Thanks for sharing your location with us. You hear about these "honey holes" from time to time and invariably they get mined out by someone. I'm sure there are some forum members who will benefit from it (maybe me if I get out there sometime!). I would be interested to see any material you might still have or pictures if available. -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...
fossil rapture Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 i would also be interested in any pics, although i have found many fossils when rock hunting, i have yet to learn the process of splitting shale - if you have any info or tips i would appreciate it, i dont want to ruin any potential fossils by blindly charging into it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Eklund Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) I doubt if I have any photographs of specimens found. I remember having them in the trunk of my 1965 Plymouth Fury III for a year and when I was let out of the Army after two years... sold them so I had gas money to get back home. I did not realize what I had in the trunk as being worth a significant amount of money, as they were museum specimens. The coiled Flexis' were perfect and you would pick them up just downstream in the gravel bars like "pea picking". If I can find the slides I can try to get some digital photos available for you to see. But... you cannot miss this spot. When the creek is on the WEST SIDE and alongside the road, wait until you see the pullout that crosses the shallow creek. We are talking 6 inches of clear water. There are tall hillsides on the west and a creek bank on the east side. The east side is where the two to three foot slabs thick with fossils are and there is a thick cover of small trees and brush to conceal any view of the "digging site". If you come to the black top road that comes into this "un named road at the moment", you passed the turn off to the creek. The Isotelus sold at Tucson was in the $1,000's of dollars. When I saw it... I asked... Oldenburg, Indiana? The shale in the creek bed would split perfectly between the top of the Isotelus and the part that came off. I would keep both the top and bottom with the specimen. A 16 ounce rock pick, a sturdy 2 inch wide and thin "splitter" is all you needed. A clean towel to lightly dry off the slab. When we came through heading to New York the first thing I noticed was the pile of shale dumped to the west of the creek bed. this was when I realized that someone had used a bob cat or something similar to scrape it clean. I cannot blame them at all as the rewards were great. I would Google Earth or Zillow the road along the road and creek north of Oldenburg. You know you are at the right town when you see the tall Cathedral coming into town. There were new homes being built north of town and getting close to the trilobite site around 1993 or so. Can you imagine what a basement would contain if they were digging a foundation at the time you show up... We can all dream. I already spent weekends there splitting and enjoyed every moment. I just was not bright enough to know what I was going to do with them or their value... But it sure was exciting! Edited January 20, 2014 by Ray Eklund Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocksdale Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Not to far from the famous St. Leon roadcut along highway 1. I wonder if it is similar age. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.–Carl Sagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 pretty much has to be. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Eklund Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Not to far from the famous St. Leon roadcut along highway 1. I wonder if it is similar age. I would suspect this entire area is Ordovician. I do not know the formation, as I have not bothered to follow through. As you might know as well, some formations can be very localized and contain unique conditions for fossils. This spot might be 200 square feet or go for half a mile. I could not have imagined the amount of shale available in the creek. You could probably remove some of the harder shale/limestone layers and work down to this layer up stream. I suspect this is not property of the county road department but the Farm, so before you begin some major "work", just check it out. Indiana and Ohio have so many modern and 19th century quarries to check as to access. In Colorado... good luck finding anything but Dinosaurs and Mammals... just kidding, but vertebrates come with a big stigma on Public Land and land owners know every inch of a vertebrate producing formation! I am more into metal detecting now. More walking and less sitting. added: I am on Zillow now trying to find Oldenburg. I find Highway 74 and Batesville... Haven't had an Indiana road map for over 40 years... 7044 N. Hamburg Rd, Oldenburg, IN 47036 House for sale on Zillow. Is it Highway 264 north off of I-74 and if you went too far would be Conteras Road that goes East? I sure like the green lawns in this part of the country! Ours looks like some grass with lots of hard packed prairie sod! I think I am getting close. Now it is your turn. I found this place by just driving the back roads looking for outcrops. This is much easier. Edited January 20, 2014 by Ray Eklund Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Moral of the story is... never reveal your honey holes to anyone. Looks like you've revealed enough info for anyone who's interested to find the site? Don't forget how many non-members doing web searches will come across this posting and avail themselves of the info. It's funny how people are, not realizing what they have and how lucky they are - I have noticed, the few times I have shown people one of 'my' sites, they seem to go away somewhat disappointed. "There are no complete ammonites here"... Awwww! What kind of dream world do they live in, I wonder. Either that or I'm in the wrong area! I usually assume that when someone has an amazing collection they didn't just stumble upon it, they worked hard for years. (or they lived back in the day when the getting was good - now it's hard to find anything because it's all been picked over for the most part) Then, by contrast, there's other newbies who are all agog over the tiniest little pieces of things... Edited January 21, 2014 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Contender Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Moral of the story is... never reveal your honey holes to anyone. Looks like you've revealed enough info for anyone who's interested to find the site? Don't forget how many non-members doing web searches will come across this posting and avail themselves of the info. It's funny how people are, not realizing what they have and how lucky they are - I have noticed, the few times I have shown people one of 'my' sites, they seem to go away somewhat disappointed. "There are no complete ammonites here"... Awwww! What kind of dream world do they live in, I wonder. Either that or I'm in the wrong area! I usually assume that when someone has an amazing collection they didn't just stumble upon it, they worked hard for years. (or they lived back in the day when the getting was good - now it's hard to find anything because it's all been picked over for the most part) Then, by contrast, there's other newbies who are all agog over the tiniest little pieces of things... I am one of those newbies all agog over drum teeth in South Florida. A micro fossil enthusiast if you will: a newbie that finds the most difficult to spot can sometimes be the most interesting. I would be hard pressed to disclose my "honey hole". Primarily because the general public has no respect or appreciation for the fossils nor the beautiful environment that surrounds them. We try to leave the very slightest footstep where we hunt. Sadly, if I posted on our spot on this site, I would find beer cans next time we went. I do find, however, as I get older; there are fossils to be found for all. There will always be raped sites (the pyramids) and there will always be sites waiting for a yureeka moment. There is enough excitement out there for all of us. Love this site and all the different finds from all over the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I am one of those newbies all agog over drum teeth in South Florida. A micro fossil enthusiast if you will: a newbie that finds the most difficult to spot can sometimes be the most interesting. I would be hard pressed to disclose my "honey hole". Primarily because the general public has no respect or appreciation for the fossils nor the beautiful environment that surrounds them. We try to leave the very slightest footstep where we hunt. Sadly, if I posted on our spot on this site, I would find beer cans next time we went. I do find, however, as I get older; there are fossils to be found for all. There will always be raped sites (the pyramids) and there will always be sites waiting for a yureeka moment. There is enough excitement out there for all of us. Love this site and all the different finds from all over the world. I was not casting aspersions - we have to start somewhere! I agree some of the most interesting things are small, especially if they are detailed. I actually appreciate people like that more than the ones who are jaded and only go for the biggest, most impressive things and leave the more obscure stuff behind (or who start out that way).. Of course we all want to find the big game but that doesn't mean the small stuff is worthless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Ive been finding the more seriously i get into this (and starting to deal more and more with museums and their associates), that the less i say about places. As others have said above, the miles are long for some finds, and they're just too rare to post and have others go plundering. Who knows what scientific value could be lost by someone who doesnt know how to remove and just accidentally destroys it and goes "woops" and moves on to the next? Not saying that about any members, just the general public. Everyone here is good =D Thanks for revealing your site, if i lived in the US i'd call you, offer a lift and off we'd go, it sounds beautiful (scenery) "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I was under the impression those Ordovician formations in eastern Indiana were part of the Cincinnatian? I have enjoyed hunting the whitewater formation many times in the past. Enrolled flexi's are abundant! Thank you Ray for sharing your site. If I happen to make it to, and/or find, this site this spring I'll post any finds here on this thread. Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ameura Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 The site that Ray is referring to is closed to collecting. The farmer who owned the land has passed away and the property sold and the new owner does not allow collecting. The 14" Isotelus that was in Tucson last year was found in a totally different locality that was leased. It is miles from the site Ray is referring to. How do I know this? I own the 14" Isotelus and have dug the leased spot many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 You don't know what you've got til it's gone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Eklund Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Every good story comes to and end, eventually. The moral of this story is... if you have the energy, ambition and patience... you can find a small exposure that is unknown to others. First pull out a Geological Map of the area and "infer" where areas could be that are not indicated on the current map. Maps are never 100% accurate when it comes to exposures and concealed exposures. You cannot possibly walk every foot of an area being farmed, homes being built and basements dug, new road cuts, etc.. If I could find a spot like this north of Oldenburg, IN... imagine what you could find in your area! I did not have enough money, $87.50 a month at first in the Army to afford a geologic map... but could look at the fossils and KNOW I was close to something. Tricrep... that was an absolutely beautiful specimen! The people I mentioned the location to lived in Indianapolis and on a street called Boy Scout Drive or something close to that. He gave me a micro chip, circa 1970, so must had worked for AT&T or some telecommunications company. I hope they spent some time there themselves... it had to be exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danzimmerman Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I collected there a long time ago. It is Waynesville formation, Ft. Ancient member. It is gone now sadly. By the way the farmer was a very nice man. Edited February 11, 2014 by danzimmerman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Eklund Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I collected there a long time ago. It is Waynesville formation, Ft. Ancient member. It is gone now sadly. By the way the farmer was a very nice man. Did he ever find a rock crusher? He was building something with his nephew by the house and asked me I come into a rock crusher, like they use on small gold claims in the West, he was interested. When he came down to the creek to visit, he rode his big tractor! You could hear him coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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