Stonerose Interpretive Center and Eocene Fossil Site, Washington, United States

5MarcoFromSeattle 5:00 PM May 26, 2013

Twelve 50 Million Year Old Fossils in 2 Hours
We visited Stonerose from Seattle with our 4 year old son and 6 year old daughter. In particular, our daughter really loved Stonerose. WHEN TO GO – We arrived on a Friday around 9:00 am and the Stonerose center was just getting ready to start an introductory session for a school group. There was about a 30 minute presentation which we found interesting. One of the center’s staff then accompanied the group up the hill to the dig site and provided some good tips about fossil hunting (but we asked a lot of questions or otherwise probably wouldn’t have been as successful). We called ahead to make sure they would be open and the person on the phone was happy to recommend what to bring and were to stay. WHAT TO BRING – We basically used a hammer and a chisel. We brought several sets and rented a set as well from the center. They also gave us a cardboard box to hold our fossils. WHO LIKED WHAT – Our 4 year old son had fun just digging in the dirt. But he also understood which kinds of rocks to look for and would occasionally bring one to us to split open. Our daughter loved it all and wanted to come back a second day, which we did. My wife enjoyed being on the hill with the energy of the school group, but was not so anxious to return the second day. I liked it all. WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND – We found lots of fossils. Each person is allowed to keep three fossils, and anything more than that is kept by the center so they can send them out to schools. So for our group of 4 we were allowed 12 fossils and in 2 hours had probably found 20. They were all less than 2x2” in size. We found lots of pine needles, but also a piece of a maple leaf, another small complete leaf, a small flower with four petals, and a section of lake-bottom. The leaf and flower we found not by splitting open a rock, but actually by just turning them over on the rock pile. The second day we also found a small fish scale (not much to look at) and some additional plant material. But although small, it was all pretty cool considering it was 50 million years old and we could keep it. After “digging”, you bring what you find back down to the center and they identify and label everything for you. WHERE TO STAY – The first night we stayed at the Northern Inn in Republic. It was clean and one woman at the front desk was particularly helpful, but otherwise it was nothing special but just like any other motel room. The second night we stayed at Black Beach Resort on Curlew Lake about 7 miles out of town. It seemed like a throwback to the 60s (and even the reservations were all down with pen and paper) and was not as clean, but for the kids it was a lot more fun. And for $25 for a half day (until “the sun goes down”) they rented us a flat bottom boat with an outboard motor and we boated up the lake to another place called Fisherman’s Cove for lunch. Fisherman’s Cove had what appeared to be the nicest cabins (for around $100 a night) but it had been booked when we called. WHERE TO EAT – We had a great dinner at the Riverside in a small town called Curlew about 20 minutes north of Republic (What’s your house dressing? They are all homemade). The restaurant was only open Friday through Sunday and the night we went it was all locals. Be sure to call a head to make sure they are open. We ate dinner somewhere in Republic as well (not sure of the name but may have been the sportsman – it was the only place open) but it was not memorable (What’s your house dressing? They are all bottled). WHAT ELSE TO DO - On the drive over from Seattle, we toured the Grand Coulee Dam. In Curlew (20 minutes from Republic) there is the Ansorge hotel from the early 1900’s run by the historical society which was very nicely done (http://www.ferrycounty.com/activities/museums/ansorge-hotel-museum/) – admission was free and we received a guided tour by the granddaughter (now old herself) of one of the traders who set up the first general store there in the late 1800s. And just outside of Curlew there was a car museum which was fine but it also had a fully restored sawmill from the early 1900’s which was something different – again free admission but call ahead or ask at Stonerose and they can probably provide further info. Also nearby was the Ghost Town of Bodie http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/Bodie.html which had about 6 buildings you could wonder around. The locals all recommended going hiking and camping.

4Discerning67 5:00 PM Aug 28, 2016

Unique Experience
Housed in a rather ramshackled building, this center has a lot more going for it than first impressions suggest. After paying to go to the nearby digging site we thought we had surely fallen into a classic tourist trap, because we seemed to be finding no fossils. But we brought all the rocks back to the office as requested and imagine our surprise when the experts there told us that we had fossils of fish scales and bones, carbonized wood, seeds and a branch of dawn redwood. The lesson is be sure to take all your rocks back to be checked!