Fossil Butte National Monument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fossil Butte National Monument | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location: | Wyoming, USA |
| Nearest city: | Kemmerer, WY |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 8,198 acres (33.17 km²) |
| Established: | October 23, 1972 |
| Visitation: | 25,000 (in 2004) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Fossil Butte National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located 15 miles west of Kemmerer, Wyoming; the national monument was founded on October 23, 1972. The site preserves one of the richest fossil deposits in the world, a 50-million-year-old lake bed.
Coal mining for the railroad led to the settlement of the nearby town which was named fossil. When the fossils were discovered, miners dug them up to sell to collectors. In particular, Lee Craig sold fossils from 1897 to 1937. After this, market conditions changed and fossil mining ceased, having paved the way for the greater appreciation of this fossil bed and the later creation of the monument.
