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Home , Amphicoelias, Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh

Photograph provided by the Great

Background Illustration by Carl Dahlgren, 1892 Dahlgren, by Carl Illustration Background flooding. and family, his in

stegosaur known largest the , Felch P. Marshall

Brachiosaurus. and ,

as vandalism to the quarry, deaths deaths quarry, the to vandalism as

(), , , , Haplocanthosaurus, Diplodocus, Amphicoelias, (Brontosaurus),

Marsh in spite of obstacles such such obstacles of spite in Marsh

the sauropods found in Garden Park include Apatosaurus include Park Garden in found sauropods the

send over 270 crates of fossils to to fossils of crates 270 over send

their primary defense from predators was their sheer size. Some of of Some size. sheer their was predators from defense primary their

formal training, he was able to to able was he training, formal

These were exclusively herbivorous and it is believed that that believed is it and herbivorous exclusively were dinosaur These Although Felch had very little little very had Felch Although

-

130 feet (40 meters). meters). (40 feet 130 Grandchildren of Marshall Felch rancher named Marshall Felch. Felch. Marshall named rancher

reaching lengths of up to to up of lengths reaching

sauropod of type a , area that were overseen by a local local a by overseen were that area

ever live on earth, earth, on live ever

fossil quarries in the Garden Park Park Garden the in quarries fossil

largest land to to animals land largest

field, he organized and financed financed and organized he field,

period. They were the the were They period.

C. Marsh rarely collected in the the in collected rarely Marsh C.

during the Jurassic the during

Although O. O. Although — Felch P. Marshall

thrived that Marsh C. O. by Illustration

necked necked - long large, of . and Stegosaurus,

were a group group a were Sauropods

Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), (Brontosaurus), Apatosaurus Marsh Charles Othniel Bogdanov Dmitry Credit: 1980s. the in fossil state Colorado the named

dinosaurs, including , Triceratops, including dinosaurs, defense. The stegosaurus discovered by Frederick Kessler was was Kessler Frederick by discovered stegosaurus The defense.

naming and describing many many describing and naming

communication purposes and their spikes were probably used for for used probably were spikes their and purposes communication Dinosaurs The

offices and he is responsible for for responsible is he and offices plates are believed to have been used for temperature regulation or or regulation temperature for used been have to believed are plates

had many specimens sent to his his to sent specimens many had

by their alternating rows of back plates and paired tail spikes. Their Their spikes. tail paired and plates back of rows alternating their by

Marsh rarely went into the field, he he field, the into went rarely Marsh Society. Paleontological Park Garden the and Science and were robust herbivorous dinosaurs easily recognizable recognizable easily dinosaurs herbivorous robust were Stegosaurs

rivalry with E. D. Cope. Although Although Cope. D. E. with rivalry was excavated by volunteers from the Denver Museum of Nature of Museum Denver the from volunteers by excavated was

Depot Dinosaur the at display on

Paleontology and his infamous infamous his and

the fossilized remains of a nearly complete Stegosaurus which which Stegosaurus complete nearly a of remains fossilized the

Othnielia. and , Ornithopod small of type a Othnielia,

the late 19th century for his work in in work his for century 19th late the survey of the Garden Park area, Carpenter and Small discovered discovered Small and Carpenter area, Park Garden the of survey

Park are , Camptosaurus, are Park

well known across America during during America across known well During a geological geological a During — Carpenter Kenneth and Small Bryan

dinosaurs found in Garden Garden in found dinosaurs

O. C. Marsh of was was University Yale of Marsh C. O.

rocks. Some Ornithopod Ornithopod Some rocks.

creek. mile four near dinosaur sauropod large a of remains

Professor Professor — Marsh Charles Othniel

relatives found in younger younger in found relatives 1ndy Levin or Brady byMatthew Photo bones. Over three summers, Delfs and his students excavated the the excavated students his and Delfs summers, three Over bones.

crested duck billed billed duck crested

work. the directing Cleveland Museum of Natural History to search for dinosaur dinosaur for search to History Natural of Museum Cleveland

contrast with their larger, larger, their with contrast

funding excavations in the area with Oramel and his brother Ira Ira brother his and Oramel with area the in excavations funding Edwin Delfs was sent to Garden Park by the the by Park Garden to sent was Delfs Edwin — Delfs Edwin

small, fleet footed dinosaurs found in Garden Park stand in stark stark in stand Park Garden in found dinosaurs footed fleet small, the discovery was reported to E. D. Cope, he immediately began began immediately he Cope, D. E. to reported was discovery the

Park. Garden herbivorous. The ornithopods varied greatly in shape and size; the the size; and shape in greatly varied ornithopods The herbivorous. Cañon City stumbled across several large dinosaur bones. When When bones. dinosaur large several across stumbled City Cañon

Nature and Science to excavate a stegosaurus skeleton from from skeleton stegosaurus a excavate to Science and Nature similar to theropods in that they were bipedal, however they were were they however bipedal, were they that in theropods to similar in the hills above Garden Park, Oramel Lucas, a schoolteacher in in schoolteacher a Lucas, Oramel Park, Garden above hills the in

1930s he and his students were hired by the Denver Museum of of Museum Denver the by hired were students his and he 1930s the Jurassic. The small ornithopods found in Garden Park were were Park Garden in found ornithopods small The Jurassic. the In the summer of 1876 while hunting hunting while 1876 of summer the In — Lucas Ira and Oramel

school teacher who excavated dinosaurs the area. In the late late the In area. the dinosaurs excavated who teacher school

were dinosaurs that were common in Colorado during during Colorado in common were that dinosaurs were Ornithopods

Cope Drinker Edward

time. the at press the in Wars‖

Professor Kessler was another Cañon City City Cañon another was Kessler Professor — Kessler Frederick

Park Garden in found theropod a Torvosaurus, which was called the ―Bone ―Bone the called was which

with , Marsh, Charles Othniel with

Park. Garden

center History and Museum Bogdanov Dmitry Credit:

Photo provided by the Royal Gorge Regional Regional Gorge Royal the by provided Photo for his highly publicized rivalry rivalry publicized highly his for of dinosaurs from from dinosaurs of

DeWeese “Dall” Dallas

. Cope was well known known well was Cope species. area for his excavation excavation his for area

papers and named over 1,000 1,000 over named and papers also well known in the the in known well also

published over 1,200 scientific scientific 1,200 over published South America. He was was He America. South

his prolific career, Cope Cope career, prolific his

Africa, Alaska, and and Alaska, Africa,

1800s was E. D. Cope. During During Cope. D. E. was 1800s hunting expeditions to to expeditions hunting

Torvosaurus. and Allosaurus, , include

paleontologists of the late late the of paleontologists fame for his exploits on on exploits his for fame

largest measuring 55 feet (16 meters). Therapods from Garden Park Park Garden from Therapods meters). (16 feet 55 measuring largest

of the preeminent preeminent the of renown who had won won had who renown

drastically in size, the smallest measuring only a few inches and the the and inches few a only measuring smallest the size, in drastically

One One – Cope Drinker Edward celebrity of some some of celebrity

hunt large prey such as sauropods and stegosaurus. They vary vary They stegosaurus. and sauropods as such prey large hunt

Photographer Unknown Photographer DeWeese was a local local a was DeWeese throughout the Mesozoic era. Their large, powerful jaws helped helped jaws powerful large, Their era. Mesozoic the throughout

Paleontologists The Dall Dall — DeWeese Dall

were bipedal, predatory dinosaurs that lived and hunted hunted and lived that dinosaurs predatory bipedal, were Theropods

Garden Park: Playground for Paleontologists Additional Information

For more information about the History, Paleontology, For over a century, the Garden Park Fossil The Garden Park Fossil Area and of the Garden Park area, contact any of the Area has played a critical role in the field of following sources: paleontology, which is the science that studies prehistoric life through examination of the fossil record. Scientists from all over America have Bureau of Land Management come to Garden Park to search for Dinosaur 3028 East Main st. skeletons, and they have not been disappointed. Cañon City, Colorado 81212 Cañon City Chamber The Garden Park fossil quarries have yielded (719) 269-8500 of Commerce dozens of specimens, including many household 403 Royal Gorge Blvd names such as Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), Dinosaur Depot Cañon City, Colorado 81212 Diplodocus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus. 330 Royal Gorge Blvd. #A (719) 275-2331 The dinosaur skeletons found in Garden Park Cañon City, Colorado 81212 (800) 987-6379 are virtually unmatched in terms of quantity, Cañon City Public Library quality, and size. However the value these Royal Gorge Regional 516 Macon Ave. dinosaurs have as flamboyant exhibitions of Museum and History Center Cañon City, Colorado 81212 prehistoric girth and power is insignificant 612 Royal Gorge Blvd. (719) 269-9020 compared to the understanding of Earth’s past that Cañon City, Colorado 81212 studying these animals has bought us. (719) 269-9036 The sheer scope and history of life on Earth is staggering and by understanding past events, we can be better prepared for the future. We hope you enjoy your visit to Garden Park and hope you Depot Dinosaur the by Provided Picture grown to appreciate the history and prehistory of In case of an emergency call:

the area. Fremont County Sheriff (719)-276-5600

This project was organized and funded by the Dinosaur Depot in association with the Bureau of Land Management and the Geological Society of America through the Geocorps Program.

A Self Guided Tour through of one of Illustration of Apatosaurus by O. C. Marsh America’s Richest Dinosaur Collecting Sites The Garden Park Fossil Area A Self Guided Tour

Dinosaur Depot—The Dinosaur Depot is a natural history museum devoted to the study of Dinosaurs and 50 Miles 1 mi 2 mi 3 mi 4 mi other prehistoric life. On display is a petrified tree, a 6 Cañon City foot long fossilized fish, fossilized bones from dozens

The FossilGarden Park Area of dinosaur species, and a nearly complete stegosaurus skeleton. Volunteers in the Museum Preparation Cope-Lucas Quarries Laboratory can be seen carefully preparing real Dinosaur N. 5th st. dinosaur bones and other fossils. Depot High st.

Marsh-Felch Quarry N. 15th st. Phelps Ave.

Red Canyon Road Field Ave. Cleveland-Delfs Quarry

Royal GorgeBoulevard 9

Central Ave.

Dozier Ave. Highway

W “Cañon City Al” standing guard outside the Dinosaur Depot City/County Road S N Point of Interest The Quarries 50 E Cope-Lucas Quarries (pictured below) - In 1876 Oramel Lucas was working as a school teacher in Garden Park while taking a break from his studies at Timeline of the Excavations in Garden Park Oberlin College. While hunting in the hills above Small- Garden Park, he stumbled across several dinosaur Marsh-Felch quarries (1877, 1883-1888, 1900-1901) Stegosaurus quarry (1991) bones which he reported to the paleontologist Edward DeWeese quarry (1915-1916) Drinker Cope. Cope, eager to acquire dinosaur Cleveland-Delfs quarry (1954-1957) Cope-Lucas quarries (1877-1883) specimens, immediately began excavations at several Kessler quarry (1937) sites in the hills with Oramel Lucas and his brother Ira 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s directing the work. The Cope-Lucas quarries produced 1870s 1880s dozens of dinosaur specimens that include partial skeletons of Camarasaurus, Allosaurus, and Cleveland-Delfs Quarry (pictured at the left)— Amphicoelias. Legend has it that Cope discovered the During the summers of 1954, 1955, and 1957, Edwin largest dinosaur ever at the quarries; a sauropod Delfs and a group of students excavated a dinosaur in known as Amphicoelias fragillimus. According to Garden Park for the Cleveland Museum of Natural notes from Cope’s notebooks, the dinosaur was nearly History. In the face of hazards such as flash floods and 200 feet (55 meters) long; almost twice as long as the the unstable cliff face, Delfs and his crew excavated next largest dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the specimen the skeleton of a sauropod dinosaur called has been lost, and Cope’s Amphicoelias fragillimus Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, which was named in honor cannot be verified. of Delfs. The dinosaur is now on display as a featured exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Excavations at the Cleveland-Delfs quarry in the 1950s Small Stegosaurus Quarry—In the summer of 1992 Photo Provided by the Dinosaur Depot while conducting a geologic survey of Garden Park, paleontologist Bryan Small and volunteer Tim Seeber DeWeese Quarry (pictured below)—Dall DeWeese discovered stegosaurus bones in the hills east of the was a man of many interests. He had won renown as a Marsh-Felch quarry. As the stegosaurus was big game hunter for his expeditions to Africa, Alaska, excavated and the full extent of the skeleton was and India where he collected many trophies that are now revealed, the excavation team realized that removing on display at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and the skeleton from the quarry would be a problem since History Center. In 1915 and 1916 he organized an The Cope-Lucas Quarries as viewed from Route 9 they were too far from the road and since they excavation in the hills of Garden Park at a site now couldn’t risk damaging the skeleton by carving it up Marsh-Felch Quarry (pictured on the front cover) called the DeWeese Quarry. A large and nearly into smaller parts. To get the skeleton to a proper —During the Jurassic period 150 million ago, complete skeleton belonging to a sauropod Dinosaur preparation lab, the excavation team resolved to airlift this was the site of a meandering river on a large flood called Diplodocus plain. The U-shaped outline of the channel can still be the stegosaurus skeleton out of the quarry by means of was unearthed at the seen in the cliff face. It is believed that this area was an army helicopter. On August 14, 1991 the army flew quarry. The DeWeese one of the last places to hold standing bodies of water a Chinook helicopter to the quarry and the six and a diplodocus was sent during droughts and thirsty dinosaurs would gather half ton stegosaurus skeleton was lifted out. The to the Denver here at isolated watering holes during dry spells. If the stegosaurus was sent to the Dinosaur Depot in Cañon Museum of Natural dinosaurs died of dehydration, their bodies would City, where it was carefully prepared for museum History (now Denver settle at the bottom of the dry riverbed and when the display over the next five years. The original skeleton Museum of Nature waters returned, the bones would be covered by thick is now on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science) and it layers of sand and mud carried along by the currents. and Science, still in the position it was in when became the first The excavations at this quarry in the 1870s and 1880s Excavations Taking Place at the DeWeese Quarry originally excavated. An exact replica is also on dinosaur in the were organized and financed by Othniel Charles Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center display at the Dinosaur Depot (pictured below). Marsh of Yale University and overseen by Marshall P. Museum’s collection. Felch, a rancher from Garden Park. Later excavations in 1900 and 1901 were financed by the Carnegie Kessler Quarry—When Frederick Kessler, a high Museum of Natural History with the continued help of school teacher in Cañon City, discovered dinosaur bones Felch. In the face of crop failures, drought, near poverty, deaths in his family, and vandalism to the in Garden Park, he and his students were quickly hired quarry, Marshall P. Felch was able to excavate 270 by the Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNS) to crates of fossils including superb specimens of excavate the whole skeleton. The dinosaur turned out to Allosaurus, Ceratosaurs, and Stegosaurus that are now be a nearly complete Stegosaurus skeleton, which was on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington missing only a few plates, a portion of the skull, and D. C. Marshall Felch continued work at the quarry parts of the rear limbs. The Stegosaurus is now on right up until his death until 1901. Although he had no display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science formal training, he died a naturalist and paleontologist and in 1982 it was named the Colorado State fossil. The Stegosaurus from the Small Quarry in his own right. on display at the Dinosaur Depot in Cañon City