Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
University and Carnegie Hills fossil beds

Location	Sioux County, Nebraska, United States
Nearest city	Harrison, NE
Coordinates	42°25′18″N 103°45′14″W / 42.421703°N 103.75388°W / 42.421703; -103.75388Coordinates: 42°25′18″N 103°45′14″W / 42.421703°N 103.75388°W / 42.421703; -103.75388^[1]
Area	11,617 acres (4,701 ha)^[2]
Established	June 14, 1997
Visitors	11,824 (in 2012)^[3]
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument near Harrison, Nebraska. The main features of the monument are a valley of the Niobrara River and the fossils found on Carnegie Hill and University Hill.

The area largely consists of grass-covered plains. Plants on the site include prairie sandreed, blue grama, little bluestem and needle and thread grass, and the wildflowers lupin, spiderwort, western wallflower and sunflowers.

History

The site is best known for the large number of well-preserved Miocene fossils, many of which were found at dig sites on Carnegie and University Hills. Fossils from the site, which date from about 20 million years ago, are among some of the best specimens of Miocene mammals. Species found at Agate include:

Miohippus, an ancestor of the modern horse,
Menoceras, a pony-sized rhinoceros,
Amphicyon, a bear dog,
Daeodon, the largest Entelodont (giant pig-like ungulate),
Stenomylus, a gazelle-like camelid, and
Palaeocastor, land beavers that dug large corkscrew-shaped burrows (Daemonelix)

Originally the Agate Springs Ranch, a working cattle ranch, was owned by Capt. James Cook. The monument's museum collection also contains more than 500 artifacts from the Cook Collection of Plains Indian artifacts.

The national monument was authorized on June 5, 1965, but was not established until June 14, 1997. The Harold J. Cook Homestead (Bone Cabin Complex) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.^[4] Agate Fossil Beds is maintained by the National Park Service.^[5]

Gallery

Map of Agate Fossil Beds
Entrance to the monument
"Devil's corkscrews," Miocene-age burrows of Palaeocastor, discovered in the late 19th century
A windmill that once provided water for excavation teams working on digs at the site
The Bone Cabin, used during twenty-five years of fossil excavations at the Agate Fossil Beds
The Niobrara River flowing through Agate Fossil Beds

References

The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

↑ "Agate Fossil Beds National Monument". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
↑ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011". Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
↑ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
↑ "Nebraska National Register Sites in Sioux County". Nebraska State Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
↑ "Agate Fossil Beds National Monument". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.

Official NPS website: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Protected areas of Nebraska

Federal

National Monuments	Agate Fossil Beds Homestead Scotts Bluff

National Historic Trails	California Trail Lewis & Clark Trail Mormon Trail Oregon Trail Pony Express Trail

National Wildlife Refuges	Boyer Chute Crescent Lake DeSoto Fort Niobrara John and Louise Seier Karl E. Mundt North Platte Rainwater Basin Valentine

National Forests	Nebraska Samuel R. McKelvie

National Grasslands	Oglala (Hudson-Meng Bison Kill & Toadstool Geologic Park)

USFS National Recreation Areas	Pine Ridge

National Wilderness	Fort Niobrara Soldier Creek

Wild and Scenic Rivers	Missouri Niobrara

State

State Parks	Chadron Eugene T. Mahoney Fort Robinson Indian Cave Niobrara Platte River Ponca Smith Falls

State Historical Parks	Ashfall Fossil Beds Ash Hollow Arbor Lodge Bowring Ranch Buffalo Bill Ranch Fort Atkinson Fort Hartsuff Fort Kearny Rock Creek Station

State Recreation Areas	Alexandria Arnold Atkinson Lake Blue River Bluestem Bowman Lake Box Butte Reservoir Branched Oak Bridgeport Brownville Calamus Champion Lake Cheyenne Conestoga Cottonmill Crystal Lake Dead Timber DLD Enders Reservoir Fort Kearny Fremont Lakes Gallagher Canyon Johnson Lake Keller Park Lake Maloney Lake McConaughy Lake Minatare Lake Ogallala Lewis and Clark Long Lake Long Pine Louisville Medicine Creek Memphis Merritt Reservoir Mormon Island North Loup Olive Creek Oliver Reservoir Pawnee Lake Pelican Point Pibel Lake Pioneer Red Willow Reservoir Riverview Marina Rock Creek Lake Rock Creek Station Rockford Sandy Channel Schramm Park Sherman Reservoir Stagecoach Summit Lake Sutherland Reservoir Swanson Reservoir Two Rivers Union Pacific Verdon Victoria Springs Wagon Train Walgren Lake War Axe Wildcat Hills Willow Creek Windmill

State Recreation Trails	Cowboy Trail

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (web)

National Monuments of the United States

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Full Detailed List

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Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links