STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

A hillside above the Snake River interjected itself into the world’s conversation in 1928 when a farmer discovered fossils dating back three million to four million years ago.

It spurred an archaeological dig that uncovered more than three tons of specimens and led to the subsequent designation of a national monument.

Now, the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument is celebrating its 50^th anniversary with several fossil exploration events.

The visitor center features a skeleton of the famed Hagerman horse.

Fossil exploration events will be held at the new Thousand Springs Visitor Center in Hagerman from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20. Additional fossil exploration events will be held at the Idaho Museum of Natural History on the Idaho State University Campus in Pocatello from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 2 and Aug. 6.

Participants will be able to see and learn about fossils and engage in hands-on activities.

“The fossil exploration events will be a fun way for kids and adults alike to travel back in time and learn how different the landscape, plants, and animals in their own backyard were, and how they can help us understand the world we live in now,” said Michael Irving, chief of interpretation & education for the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.  

Some of those involved in the local chapter of the Wood River Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society toured the fossil beds area a couple weeks ago during the annual meeting of the Idaho Native Plant Society, which brought Plant Society members from all over Idaho to Three Island Crossing State Park near Glenns Ferry.

The Hagerman horse fossil beat all odds to survive into the 21st century.

Those who took in the Hagerman Fossil Beds Tour braved winds of 25 miles per hour that swept through as part of a cold front as they surveyed the bluff where fossil bones of zebras, beaver, otter, pelicans and other water birds had been found in the sediments of a 34-million-year-old pond.

They learned how the Smithsonian uncovered more than 200 individuals of the single-toed Hagerman horse, which was as small as a dog. And they learned how other species found included a 10-foot tall giant ground sloth, mastodons, saber-toothed cats and a North American short-faced bear--the predecessor to today’s black bear.

There were dog-like creatures with bulging foreheads, strong jaws and thick teeth that were known as bone crushers because they could break open bones of animals larger than they.

It also included a wolverine-like badger that has only been uncovered in a few places, including the Hagerman Valley and Russia. Anda new species of a pig-like hoofed mammal.

The area where the fossils were discovered is pretty barren and must sometimes endures winds in excess of 25 miles per hour.

Plant Society members also learned just how hard it is to become a fossil. Indeed, less than .0001 percent of all life that has existed becomes fossilized and, of that .0001 percent, only a fraction is ever discovered.

Conditions have to be perfect to become a fossil—the animal must have died in a soft sediment, been buried or covered quickly and have the right type of minerals to fossilize the bones. In addition, there must be a low oxygen level to decrease decomposition.

The Hagerman Fauna Site National Natural Landmark is located within the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument between Boise and Twin Falls. It was designated in May 1975 by then Secretary of the Interior Stanley K. Hathaway in recognition of its internationally significant collection of fossils from the Pliocene era, three to four million years ago.

BONUS FOR ADVENTURERS:

Other animals that once roamed the area include a wolverine-like badger.

Take a hike on the nearby 3.25-mile one-way Emigrant Trail between the Snake River overlook near the fossil beds and the Oregon Trail overlook.

Here, pioneers and animals traveling westward could see and hear the water below but they couldn’t get to it because of the Snake River being enclosed by a perpendicular ledge of rocks for miles. You can see historic wagon ruts on the slopes today.