This is Mazon Monday post #165. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected].
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The ESCONI Braceville field trips for spring of 2023 were well attended. We had 50+ people for both Saturday, May 6th and Sunday, May 7th. The weather was great. Saturday started overcast with light sprinkles, but turned into a nice day, with highs in the low 70's. Sunday was hot! It was sunny all day with highs in the upper 80's. Many concretions were collected. Not only is Braceville an event for beginners to experience fossil collecting out in nature. It has also become somewhat of a social event with the regular Mazon Creek collectors getting together twice a year to educate the new comers and swap stories of collecting Pit 11 and other localities both now and in years gone by.
Nick Koba, Jr, stopped by with some of his books "Strip Mining History of the Grundy, Will, and Kankakee Counties". Nick worked in the mines a long time ago. He has some great photos and even better stories to tell! Stay tuned for a post about his book.
Becky Monroe was there collecting with her husband Doug. She brought along some copies of the book "Trilobites of the Chicago Region". Her parents Patricia and Charles Armstrong wrote the book back in 1962. You'll be hearing more about this one soon.
We had our usual fossil dump both days. People were very generous. We had contributions from Ralph Jewell, Connor Puritz, Ben Riegler, Marty Houdek, Jeremy Zimmerman, Andrew Young, Keith Robitschek, and Rich Holm. Thanks, guys! The contributions are appreciated by all!
Photos from both days... some are courtesy of Ralph Jewell, who has a great thread running over on The Fossil Forum. Check it out!
