by John Roberts

Created on: August 03, 2011

During the 1860s there was a gold rush happening in Canyon City, Oregon and when a U.S. cavalry troop was escorting a gold shipment to fund the Civil War, a trooper picked up some curious objects along the way. He showed his finds to a young minister and amateur paleontologist named Thomas Condon who became excited over what were fossils and wanted to know where they came from. The fossils had been found in erosion exposed cliffs now called the Painted Hills overlooking the John Day River.

Condon explored the region and his discoveries amazed the scientific community and paleontologists have been digging there ever since. The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument encompasses 14,000 acres of prime fossil sites in three separate units called Sheep Rock, Carno and Painted Hills. Scientists have estimated the fossil beds stretch across 20,000 square miles of this central Oregon area with much of that land is privately held though explored along with the government holdings. It is conceivable yet unlikely to find a fossil in the rock alongside roads as the real fossil hunting is in the cliffs and gullies on land forbidden to the public.

The volcanic high desert region was once a wet tropical jungle and fossils ranging from seven to 44 million years ago have been uncovered. These particular fossil beds stand among the richest in the world yielding hundreds of species ranging from tiny seeds to long extinct rhino like creatures. The sites are unique for the depth and wealth of both plant and animal life and providing scientists with the opportunity to study ecosystems through time and have dated rock layers.

The primary location to visit is Sheep Rock where monument headquarters is based. The monument and river are named after an early trapper. The location is remote on State Highway 19 several miles north of Highway 26. These are lonely two-lane roads and the largest nearby town is Prineville over 50 miles away. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center opened in 2003 and serves as visitor center. The facility is outstanding and spacious. Parking is ample. There is snow during winter and it gets hot in summer. At all trails and areas in the monument, visitors are warned to be wary of rattlesnakes.

Across the road stands Sheep Rock, the monument's signature landmark, and the view is excellent. Sheep Rock is beautiful with its coloring and erosion worn rippled cliffs where the fossils are. Visitors might first want to go to the theater and watch a video relating history

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