This is the "Fossil Friday" post #79. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
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All right, we have a real nice treat for you today! This specimen (maybe specimens?) comes from Ralph Jewell. If you've been at any of our Braceville field trips in the last 4 to 5 years, you've met Ralph or at the least you've had the opportunity to collect from the very generous fossil donations he's brought for participants on those field trips. I don't remember when we started providing fossil material at those events, but his were some of the first. Heck, we might have gotten the idea from him! Thanks again, Ralph! And, thanks for the awesome Fossil Friday contribution!
This concretion was given to Ralph by his friend and fossil mentor, Walter Lietz. Walter was a prolific, old time Mazon Creek collector, who made significant contributions to the study of Mazon Creek. He donated many, many fossils to the Mazon Creek Project at Northeastern Illinois University. The absolutely breathtaking spider, Trigonomartus pustulatus, on the cover of the "Richardson's Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek" was donated by Walter.
Here is Walter collecting with Ralph in Pit 4.
Here is Walter and his wife, Rita.
Here is the story Ralph sent me...
Per our discussion today, here are a few pictures of my favorite fossil that I received from my mentor and fellow collector Walter Lietz.
It is a huge concretion that contains a triple Annularia stellata whorl on one side, and a beautiful Macroneuropteris on the other side. I believe he found this in the early 80’s and he cracked it open. I cannot remember where he found it, but I know it was not at Pit 11 or Pit 4, I am really thinking it was Pit 1, but am not positive.
If you notice the sheen that is on this piece, that is because he would brush egg yoke over his flora material, this was a practice the was used by many older collectors. They did this to bring out detail and also thought it protected the fossil.
Walter was a great ambassador for Mazon Creek, and on a weekly basis he had visitors at his house to see his collection. They came from far and wide, he had professors from various universities, including Jarmilla Peck from Carleton University and many others.
On two occasions, Walter donated large amounts of the fossils that he had in his garage to the Mazon Creek Project at Northeastern Illinois University. Those fossils included a beautiful Trigonomartus pustulatus spider that was used on the cover of “The Richardson’s Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek”. He also donated tons of flora / fauna that included fish, shrimp, legless amphibian, and a whole list of the usual suspects.
And, yes there is more...
