Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds Newsletter Volume 2005, Issue 3 October, 2005 Populus crassa — A Large Poplar Leaf Fossil Steven Wade Veatch grained sediments at the bottom declaration. Everyone rapidly of the lake became the burial gathered around the student to Western Interior Paleontologi- site for countless insects and see the prized leaf fossil. Excite- cal Society plants. These sediments com- ment filled the mountain valley "When the mountains are over- pacted into layers of shale, pre- as the specimen was being ex- thrown and the seas uplifted, the serving plant and animal remains posed for the first time. Using universe at Florissant flings itself as fossils. standard paleontological tech- against a gnat and preserves it." niques, the young man slowly The Colorado Springs Minera- — Dr. Arthur C. Peale, Hayden and carefully extracted this re- logical Society hosted a field trip Expedition Geologist, 1873. markable specimen. The fossil to the Florissant Fossil Beds was removed in fine condition National Monument that fol- Inside this issue: West of Pikes Peak—near the and a celebration followed. small community of Florissant— lowed the 2005 Pikes Peak Gem there is a beautiful mountain and Mineral Show. After a tour The high school student uncov- valley where the rocks reveal a of the monument, the group In 1969 the fossilered beds awere remarkable set aside as theEocene-age Florissant Notorious Outlaw 2 prehistoric Colorado. About 34 went to the Florissant Fossil poplar leaf, Populus crassa. The Quarry, a commercial Fossilcollecting Beds National Monument, a part of our National Caught Near million years ago, raging mud- fossilPark leaf System. impression, on a slab Florissant flows from volcanic eruptions site. Photoof bylake S. Veatch, shale, © 2005.was formed in poured into this valley. The Everyone in the field party found ancient lake sediments and vol- Alpine Tundra 2 silica-rich mud buried the base a number of plant and insect canic ash. The lanceolate of redwood trees that grew in fossils. During the last five min- (shaped like a spear) leaf has an the Florissant valley. The lower th overall length of 18.5 cm; the utes of the field trip an 11 trunks of these trees were ulti- leaf length is 15.3 cm; the stem grade student announced that he Visit by General 3 mately petrified. is 3.2 cm; the width at the wid- had found a large leaf fossil. The Tommy Franks est point of the leaf is 4.5 cm. clatter of shale fragments being The mudflows also dammed a The base of the leaf is rounded. river that was flowing in the split in search of fossils and the lively discussion among the fossil (Continued on Page 7) New Topaz valley, forming a long and nar- 3 row lake. Over time the fine- hunters quickly ended at this Discovery Culturally 4 Modified Trees Lake Florissant’s Big Neighbor and the South Platte River bombs and tefra (small sharp abundant rainfall and the loose By Donald P. McGookey Dear Friends 5 pieces of ejected lava) that build ejecta high on the cone resulted Lake Florissant was formed a cone around a central vent. in continuous mudflows (lahars) when east flowing mudflows There were very few lava flows. that traveled as much as thirty from the Guffey volcano plugged The cone may have attained miles away from the cone. 6000 to 8000 feet in elevation Teacher 5 the south-flowing valley of an Prior to the building of the Guf- Enhancement ancestral creek. Guffey volcano above the surrounding area (McGookey, 2001). The climate fey volcanic cone all the streams Classes was an explosive, fairly large, of Oligocene time (34 to 32 of South Park, and extensive volcano. The base of the volcano areas to the west of South Park, Presentation by 6 exceeded 20 miles in diameter. million years ago) in this area Herb Meyer This type of volcano violently was wetter than the present (Continued on Page 9) ejects large quantities of ash, climate. The combination of Volume 2005, Issue 3 Page 2 Notorious Outlaws Caught Near Florissant Cops and robbers in the Florissant Valley – Wednesday, Feb. 20, sprang for their arms, when a volley was poured into them and 1878 Klowan was wounded, but not fatally, the ball striking him on Submitted by Beth Simmons the left eyebrow and glancing off. This resolute action on the Original article in Denver Daily Tribune Feb. 24, 1878, p. 4, sent part of the pursuers caused an immediate surrender, and this from Colorado Springs on Feb. 21, 1878 morning, after being brought into town, they were taken before Accessible on line at Judge Henry, who is holding district court here, and pleaded http://gunnison.aclin.org/Archive/skins/CHNC/navigator.asp? guilty to the indictments which the grand jury had brought skin=CHNC&BP=OK&AW=1099196851984 against them. These men, with McCarthy, who has been con- “A Good Job-Capture and Punishment of Two Notori- victed on three indictments, were the scourge and terror of the ous Outlaws” South Park cattlemen and ranchmen, and the news of their cap- “COLORADO SPRINGS, Feb. 21, 1878” ture was hailed with great satisfaction. Certainly great praise is due to the men who spent so much time and trouble and ran “Quite a ripple of excitement spread through this community such risks to effect their capture. Both the outlaws are desper- this morning, caused by the arrival of a squad of armed and ate men and good shorts, and had the plans for their capture mounted men from the mountains, having in charge the noted failed in any respect, the loss of lives, valuable to this community, outlaws Miller and Klowan, who it will be remembered evaded a might have been the result.” hot pursuit of the officers of this county at the time McCarthy, the leader of the gang, was captured last winter. The squad that Note: Spellings were not changed to protect the guilty, innocent, captured Miller and Klowan, consisted of Hon. W.W. Webster, or Judge Castello’s town. Ranchmen, including Adeline Hornbek President pro tem, of the State Senate, Walter Bird, Avery and Judge Castello in the valley and all of the cattlemen of South Tubbs, John Cabler, Jewett Palmer, A.D. Starkes, Wm. Wright, Park could now rest easy, knowing their herds were safe. F.R. Smith and his son, Louis Smith. The capture was made about four miles from Judge Castello’s, at Florisant, at about four o’clock yesterday afternoon. Miller and Klowan were sur- prised and ordered to surrender, notwithstanding which they The Alpine Tundra By J.J. Huie The high point of my summer (quite literally) is hiking in the alpine tundra of Colorado. No other outdoor experience is as exhilarating as spending time above timberline. If you do, you will witness scenes of complete peace and stillness, and later on during the same hike you may experience the most violent weather Colorado has to offer. My hike up Mt. Elbert (which at 14,433 ft. is the highest point in Colorado) last summer re- minded me not only of the grandeur of the alpine world but also its potential dangers. On a day in late June, I started hiking at 5:45 am toward the Mt. Elbert South Mt. Elbert Trailhead from a parking lot near the Lakeview Campground, which is off of Lake County 24 (paved up to the Shortly after moving into the alpine tundra, I spotted both pikas campground) near the town of Twin Lakes. I hiked for approxi- (Ochotona princeps) and yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota mately two miles on a four-wheel-drive road to the official trail- flaviventris). Pikas, part of the hare and rabbit family, have head, using my headlamp to light the way during the first few brownish-gray fur and a round body with short legs. A pika is minutes. The early morning start had been cool, but now I had about the size of a juvenile cottontail rabbit. Unlike marmots, the chance to put my fleece jacket in my pack. Right before pikas do not hibernate. They make hay piles during the summer reaching timberline, the intense solar radiation from being at for use in the winter months. I have yet to take a trip into the over 11,000 ft. reminded me to rub sunscreen onto my face and alpine tundra without seeing a pika standing on top of a rock or neck. As I passed through the krummholtz (a German word darting in and out of rocky piles near meadows. The yellow- meaning “crooked wood”), which consists of stands of wind- bellied marmot is much larger, being the largest of the ground- deformed trees in the transition area between the subalpine dwelling squirrels. Their bodies are yellow-brown to rusty- forest and alpine tundra, I became giddy with the thought of (Continued on Page 6) reaching the world above trees for my first time that summer. Volume 2005, Issue 3 Page 3 General Tommy Franks Visits the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument By Montgomery Connors General Tommy Ray Franks visited the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument on August 20, 2005. General Franks met with Superintendent Reggie Tiller, park staff, and members of the Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds. General Franks, a board member of the National Park Foundation, visited the Fossil Beds to learn more about this unit of the National Park Service. Franks is a retired General in the United States Army, previously serving as the Commander-in-Chief of United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East.