Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
| Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sioux County, Nebraska, USA |
| Nearest city | Harrison, Nebraska |
| Area | 3,055.22 acres (2,737.52 federal) 12.36 km² |
| Established | June 14, 1997 |
| Visitors | 14,209 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument near Harrison, Nebraska. The main feature of the Monument is a valley of the Niobrara River.
The area largely consists of grassy plains, which are covered in wild grasses including prairie sandreed, blue grama, little bluestem and needle-and-thread, and the wildflowers lupine, spiderwort, western wallflower and sunflowers.
Originally the Agate Springs Ranch, a working cattle ranch owned by Capt. James Cook, the site is best known, however, for the large number of well-preserved fossils which have been discovered, particularly at dig sites on Carnegie and University Hills. Fossils from the site are among some of the best specimens of Miocene mammals, such as Miohippus, an ancestor of the modern horse, and Menoceras, a pony-sized rhinoceros. 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 on August 24, 1977. Agate Fossil Beds is maintained by the National Park Service.
See Also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
Reference
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
External links
- Official NPS website: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
- National Park Service handbook on the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
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