This is Mazon Monday post #179. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected].
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The Tully Monster was designated Illinois' State Fossil in 1989. Unfortunately, Francis Tully (yes! an ESCONI member!) didn't live to see it as he died in 1987. While much is still uncertain, we know quite a bit more about the animal today.
The following article appeared in the October 1989 issue of the newsletter.
State fossil, prairie grass chosen
Springfield--
The "Tully Monster" became Illinois' official state fossil! This was just one day after the "Big Bluestem" became Illinois' official state prairie grass.
Governor James R. Thompson signed into law both the fossil bill, sponsored by Rep. Larry Wennlund, R-New Lenox, and the prairie grass bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Ryder, Rerseyville.
The Tully Monster and Big Bluestem are the latest additions to official Illinois symbols, which include the oak, violet cardinal, fluorite, monarch butterfly, white tailed deer and bluegill. Several, including the oak, violet, cardinal and blue- gill, were elected by Illinois school children.
Wennlund said his bill simply declared the Tullimonstrum gregarium to be the official state fossil because it is unique and there would not have been any opposition in a school election.
Amateur collector Francis Tully found the first stone impressions of the 300 million year old sea animal in the late 1950's in the Will-Grundy-Kankakee county area. Wennlund said it was a foot long, and had a soft body and ate meat.
The Big Bluestem, one of several prairie grasses that made Illinois soil rich, was still growing to heights of eight feet in the early 1800's. It had a three-branched seed head that gave it a nickname of turkeyfoot grass.
The Big Bluestem won its designation by beating Indiangrass, Prairie Dropseed and Little Bluestem in a 4316 vote contest at 50 grade schools.
(NOTE: Francis Tully was an ESCONI member.)
Mr. Tully's Tullys... just a few of the many he found during his life.
Thanks go out to Ralph Jewell for some of the photos in this post. The Tully Monster photos come from slides he obtained from Walter Leitz. Walter and his wife Rita were a long time ESCONI collectors, who very generously contributed to The Mazon Creek Project, the science of Mazon Creek, and Mazon Creek fossil collecting in general.
