The abundant brachiopods from the site. Photo courtesy Reed Scherer, Northern Illinois University
Roy Plotnick has a great post on Medium about the Fossil Park proposal for the old Lone Star Quarry in Oglesby, IL. Anyone that visited the site in the past remembers the abundant fossils to be had. Brachiopods were just spilling out of the ground. The quarry was recently acquired by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). And, Roy, along with Dave Carlson (of ESCONI) and Mike Phillips (of the Illinois Valley Community College - come hear him speak at the General Meeting on April 12th!) proposed the IDNR with the "fossil park" idea. The proposal is supported by a large group of professional and amateur paleontologists. Most recently, Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa introduced legislation (House Bill 2789) to designate the site as a "fossil park". Let's hope the proposal is accepted and Lone Star Quarry can again supply its abundant fossils to the areas fossil enthusiasts!
One of the greatest challenges I face in teaching paleontology in Chicago is finding a place to bring my classes on field trips. I also am frequently asked by members of the public “where can I take my kids to collect fossils?” Unfortunately, there are currently are very limited number of places in Northern Illinois to collect fossils. There are only a few small roadcuts. Most exposures of bedrock are in commercial quarries, which are generally off limit to members of the public, including groups from schools and universities. Not long ago I found myself scrambling at the last minute to find a site to bring a field trip, because the quarry management rescinded our permission to visit.
When I first taught paleontology in 1982, I was advised to take my class to the Lone Star Quarry in Oglesby, Illinois. It was a fantastic place to go. The quarry mined the La Salle Limestone member of the Bond Formation (Pennsylvanian, about 300 million years old) for cement production. Also exposed at the quarry were red and gray shales above the limestone, and gray and thin black shale layers below it. The rocks in the quarry were extremely fossiliferous. The limestone contains numerous and diverse crinoids, snails, corals, brachiopods and rare trilobites; shark teeth and other vertebrate remains are not uncommon. These fossils weather out and were easy to collect on the quarry floor, a safe distance from the highwall. We collected so many specimens of the brachiopod Composita that I can give them away to children. The black shale contains orbiculoid brachiopods, shark teeth and fish scales, and sometimes a complete fish. An amphibian bone has also been recovered there. Prior to 2008, the quarry was a popular site for both college classes and amateur collectors.
