National Parks:
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Kimberly, Oregon -- Within the heavily eroded volcanic deposits of the picturesque John Day River basin of eastern Oregon is a well-preserved and diverse fossil record of plants and animals, including the dawn redwood (Metasequoia), which has been recently designated as the Oregon State Fossil.

The world-renowned imbedded fossils reflect more than 40 of the 65 million years of the Age of Mammals. The full catalog of fossil types found in the park embraces ancient and now extinct mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, nuts, seeds, leaves, trees, and more.

Authorized in 1974, this 14,000-acre park is divided into three widely separated units in Grant and Wheeler Counties, OR: the Sheep Rock Unit, Painted Hills Unit, and Clarno Unit. The monument's main headquarters is at the Cant Ranch Visitor Center in the Sheep Rock Unit.

The grand opening of the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, also located in the Sheep Rock Unit, took place on August 13, 2005.

The Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is located near milepost 122 on Oregon’s State Route 19, sixteen miles south of Kimberly, OR, and nine miles west of Dayville, OR)

Annually, the park draws about 130,000 visitors to learn about paleontology and the range of species represented by the fossil record found within John Day fossil Beds and surrounding areas.

Did You Know?

• Rev. Thomas Condon [1822-1907] was a Congregationalist Minister from The Dalles, Oregon, who later founded the University of Oregon’s geology department. He came to Oregon around Cape Horn as a missionary in 1853. Condon was the first scientific investigator of the fossils in the John Day region, beginning with a visit to the area in1865 and followed by many more.
• Soldiers found the first fossils in what is now known as John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in the 1860’s. These soldiers told Thomas Condon, who investigated and informed Eastern scientists. These scientists came and recovered many of the fossils and transported numerous specimens to Yale, Princeton, the Smithsonian Institution and elsewhere where they remain. Site visitors are still able to view and inspect varied fossils that were left in place, where they will remain for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
• John Day Fossil Beds encompasses at least 750 fossil sites that span more than 45 million years of earth’s history compared to 2 or 3 millions years at less remote fossil beds. Clarno Nut Beds has more species of petrified wood found in it than any other known fossil locality in the world.
• Turtle Cove Fauna contains remarkably preserved mammalian fossils belonging to 45 different families of mammals. The Bridge Creek Flora contains fossils spanning more than 33 million years.
• The National Monument and its staff are responsible for the scientific research and coordinated protection of the paleontological resources on 3 million acres of federal lands within the 6.5 million-acre John Day Basin – much of it managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.
• John Day, whose name was given to the monument, a nearby city, and many other local features, was a 19th-century explorer who came west with the 1810 expedition of famed fur-trader John Jacob Astor. Day and a companion are remembered today for falling behind the other members of their expedition and being attacked by Indians, who stripped them of their food and clothes and left them on the banks of Columbia River. Day survived the ordeal and eventually reached Astoria. He is believed to have died in 1819.

Don't Miss These Attractions

• Regularly scheduled, and specially arranged ranger-conducted programs are offered year-around; fossil museum talks, trail hikes, and off-site presentations, feature the geologic and paleontologic story of the national monument. The schedule of activities changes during each of the four seasons.
• Visitors are encouraged to go on hikes and bicycle rides throughout the park and stop for a picnic along the way. Digging or excavation is prohibited.
• Another attraction is the Blast from the Past Game. This is a one-hour, participatory activity for young students, grades 1 to 3. It teaches about Oregon geography, volcanic deposition, and fossil preservation processes.
• Ashfall Discoveries, a two-hour program for students grades 3 to 6, explores the cycle of a fossil through the fossilization process, scientific discovery, clean up in the laboratory and museum display. Students will also learn how fossils reveal explanations about past life. Students hike into a field site, learn about and take field notes, do a hands-on laboratory simulation and explore the museum with a ranger.

Source: National Park Service