STONEROSE

By Bob & Lynn Difley

“Proterozoic and possibly Paleozoic amphibolite-facies metasedimentary gneisses and three suites of Paleocene to Eocene granitic plutons….” Though it may sound like the jumbled chattering of Star War’s Jar Jar Binks, it was just some ordinary scientists discussing earth’s geologic and biologic environment during the formation of fossils they had uncovered at Republic, Washington’s Stonerose Eocene Fossil Site. Fortunately for the rest of us, we don’t need to know the difference between a gneiss and a pluton to dig for these fossils.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s turn the clock back 50 million years, give or take a few years, and look at life in the Eocene (Greek for “dawn of life”) Epoch, especially here in the Republic valley.

Mother Nature had yet to unleash her volcanic potential and thrust upward the great Cascade Range into a natural geologic wall that would block the easterly flowing jet stream. Warm moist air blew in unimpeded from the western ocean, dumping a typical Pacific Northwest volume of rainfall, producing a wet humid climate—quite different from the cold winters and temperate summers of today.

Forests of giant conifers extended into the far north and deciduous trees such as beech, elm, and chestnut covered the slopes as far north as Greenland and Siberia. Higher elevation trees like pine, hemlock, and spruce grew alongside maples, elms, and other broadleafs that spread throughout the country. Palm trees and alligators lived as far north as the Dakotas. You could pick figs off trees in Alaska.

This hospitable, subtropical climate had just the right ingredients to nurture a broad variety of major new groups of insects, fish, and plants that suddenly appeared (in geologic time), thrived as harmoniously as frogs on a log, and rapidly adapted and diversified.

A huge lake filled most of the valley in the Republic region though it remained undiscovered by water skiers and fishermen for millions of years until after it had already dried up. But before it disappeared, little fish and big fish, strange creepy crawly bugs, squadrons of aeronautical insects, maple leaves, elm leaves, all manner of organic material settled onto the lake and drifted to the bottom.

Increasingly energetic volcanoes spewed tons of ash into the air that floated down like gray snow onto the lake and settled to the bottom with everything else where it compacted into layers of rock harder than Aunt Tillie’s biscuits. The bugs and leaves and fishes compressed between these layers of shale formed impressions that remained unchanged in the shale formations until discovered a few million years later.

These impressions are the fossils found at the Stonerose Fossil Site today, one of the richest sources of fossil specimens in the world. According to Raymond Lasmanis, Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources, “These are world-class Eocene fossils that contain the best North American record of upland warm temperate to subtropical habitats.”

Many of the fossils found are of plants and creatures that no longer exist, while others are of species that exist today only in the southeastern states or grow only in the Far East.

“Of major significance,” says Wesley Wehr, of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, “is the… earliest know record of many members of the Rosaceae (rose family). It was the geologic driving force that significantly shook up the biological continuity, leading to the astonishingly rich and diverse biota found in the Republic fossil record.”

What does all this scientific talk have to do with you and me?

It means that we, who possess no scientific credentials whatsoever, can go dig in the dirt beside these scientists. We can crawl around on our hands and knees with a chisel and hammer in the same “world-class” fossil beds, discovering and extracting fossils that have set these scientists a-twitter--and that rest in the Smithsonian Museum and the Stonerose Interpretive Center.

“ Recreational fossil hunters as well as many visiting scientists from around the world are still finding new and unique specimens,” says Stonerose’s enthusiastic Curator, Lisa Barksdale. “Just recently, for instance, we found a fossil of the oldest known hazelnut.”

She showed us various specimens and pointed out several different rose fossils that were on display in the center. “The name Stonerose,” she explained, “refers to the many varieties of rose family specimens found in the rock here.”

“Yeah, sure,” you say, “I’ve seen these digs before where you can spend the whole day clawing around in the dirt and come up with nothing but a pile of rocks. My kids would stay interested in that for about five minutes.”

Au contrair, my friend. Before you dismiss such a venture, consider that rarely does anyone who digs at the site with the proper tools and instructions go away without at least one fossil. In fact, because of the vast number of fossils found at the site, and the potential number of fossils that could be removed from the site if not controlled, the Stonerose Fossil Center has had to limit the “take” to a maximum of three fossils per day per person.

So with all this background information, and armed with a chisel and hammer, we embarked on our geologic adventure. We soon found ourselves squatting in what looked like an ordinary pile of rocks beside Ethan, about eight or nine years old, a pint-sized someday-paleobiologist. He showed us several specimens he had found and explained that their class often takes field trips to Stonerose. They take their specimens back to the interpretive center where they learn about what they have found.

Ethan handed us a rock and explained how to ease the chisel between a rock’s layers, which were like thick pages of a book, tap the chisel lightly with the hammer, and split the layers apart.

On our fifth attempt, there it was! An almost perfect impression of a leaf about two inches long! Within another fifteen minutes of digging and chipping we found two more, not quite as well-formed, but one displayed three perfectly preserved legs of an insect. Talk about excited! You’d have thought we just discovered a vein of pure gold running through the rocks.

What makes the Stonerose Fossil Site even more remarkable as a recreational, educational, and scientific attraction—whether you’re five years old or seventy-five years old—is that in this age where the common rules at historic sites are “don’t touch, leave whatever you find where you found it, and take nothing but pictures,” you are permitted to actually keep three specimens for yourself.

When was the last time a ranger told your grandkids, “Oh, I see you found a Ginkgo biloba fossil. Won’t that make a nice addition to your collection in your room at home?” Even in non-historic locations, like state and national parks, you are continuously cautioned to not take even a rock or pine cone or wildflower.

Chances are that you won’t find a fossilized woolly mammoth or Tyrannosaurus-Rex (they had been extinct for 15 million years before these fossil beds had been laid down). But you can find almost perfectly formed and preserved leaves, insects, and tiny fishes, which will be a prized addition to any budding scientist’s dresser top display.

Before you dig.

Searching or digging for fossils, though not dangerous, is at your own risk and requires a Site Admission Sticker available from the Interpretive Center for $2.50 for anyone over 12 ($5 for a family of seven or less), and $1.50 for seniors. Proper tools are for rent for $3. The site may be entered only when the Center is open, May 1^st through October 30^th, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays from mid-June through mid-September 10 AM to 4 PM.

Because fossils are a non-renewable resource protected by the non-profit organization, Friends of Stonerose Fossils, for the purpose of education, scientific research, and recreation, visitors may keep only a maximum of three fossils daily. Remember that you are a part of the scientific team when digging fossils, and therefore all finds must be shown to the curator at the center for identification. Any fossil considered to be of scientific value or significant to the Stonerose Collection will be retained by the Center.

Around Stonerose

Turning the clock back again, but this time only 100 years, to April 18, 1896, 64 hardy, adventurous, miners gathered in Northern Washington where the Okanogan mail trail crossed Eureka Creek to form the Eureka mining district. Like a time-lapse movie of a tiny seed germinating and sprouting in seconds to a full-grown plant, the gold rush town of Eureka sprouted overnight from the pre-historic, ore-rich, sedimentary rocks.

The town’s name was changed to Republic after the formation of the new Republic Gold Mining & Milling Company and later, when Ferry County split off from Stevens County in 1899, Republic became Ferry County’s government seat. Extracting gold from the rich deposits continues today as one of Republic’s economic mainstays.

Take some time to explore this old western town of about 1,100, the only incorporated town in Ferry County, the least populated county in the state with only 3.2 people per square mile. Camping is available at three RV parks as well as at the nearby Forest Service campgrounds.

East of Republic, Route 20, recently declared a National Scenic Byway, goes over Sherman Pass, the highest (5,575 ft.) all-weather pass in Washington. The Tin-Na-Tit Kin-Ne-Ki Indian Art Gallery near the pass features a good selection of native art.

Curlew Lake State Park, ten miles northeast of Republic on Highway 21 has lakeshore camping, swimming, a dump station, and is one of the best fishing lakes in the state.

The nearby Car & Truck Museum displays rare models and some celebrity owned cars. Admission is free (donations are gratefully accepted). Open from May through Labor day, Noon to 6PM.

The town of Curlew, six miles north of the state park, is home to the Ansorage Hotel. Built in 1903 and now a museum, it opens from 1 PM to 5 PM on summer weekends. Stop for lunch at the Loose Blue Moose.

Ranald McDonald’s grave (no, he’s not the hamburger guy) is ten miles north of Curlew. I’m not much one for visiting graves, but Ranald deserves a mention. Born in 1824 the son of a Scottish Hudson’s Bay trader and Princess Raven, the daughter of Chief Comcomly of the Chinook Tribe, Ranald became interested in Japan after hearing about two shipwrecked Japanese sailors living in Fort Vancouver. Ranald later became a sailor himself and deliberately sank his boat off the shore of Japan, which at that time was closed to Westerners. He managed to avoid being beheaded by a roving samurai but was imprisoned in Nagasaki where he taught English to the Japanese.

“Unquestionably,” says Mary Warring of the Ferry County Historical society, “McDonald’s activities and behavior positively influenced the Japanese’ desire to establish intercourse with the Western world.”

He died in 1894 and is buried in a cemetery on a bluff overlooking the Kettle River, which, incidentally is becoming a popular river with canoeists. Occasionally you can spot big horn sheep and eagles along its banks.

And finally, if you just can’t stand to go another day without chasing around little white balls, try the Sheridan Greens, boastfully claimed to be the “toughest nine holes in the west.”

STONEROSE

Around Stonerose

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