CO 



L.JRARY 

 NEW YORK 

 BOTANICAL 



GARDEN 



CHAPTER XIY. 

 FOSSIL FLORA OF THE YELLOWSTONE NATKJNAL PARK. 



By Frank Hall Knowlton. 



HISTORICAI^ SU3IMARV OF AVOKK OX THE FOSSIL FLORA. 



As nearly as I have been able to determine, the first coUeetidn of fossil 

 plants made in tlie Yellowstone National Park was ol)tained hv members 

 of the United States Geoloo'ical Survev nnder Dr. F. V. Havden, in 1S71. 

 They were found in two localities, and were recorded by Prof. Leo Les- 

 querenx,^ as follows: "Divide between the source of Snake River and the 

 southern shore of Yellowstone Lake," and " Near Yellowstone Lake, among 

 basaltic rocks." It has not l)een possible to rediscover these localities, and 

 several of the species remain unique. 



In the following- year (1.S72) the Park was again visited bv a party 

 under Dr. Ilayden. The members of this party investig'ated the north- 

 eastern portion of the Park and discovered the rich plant deposits on the 

 Yellowstone River, a short distance below the mouth of Elk Creek. The 

 actual collectors were Messrs. A. C. Peale, .Joseph Savage, and ( ). C. Sloane. 

 The plants re})resented five species, which were determined Ijy Professor 

 Lesquereux.'- 



The Fossil Forest, that has since become so widely known, was first 

 described by Mr. W. H. Holmes in 1878.'* He visited and quite thoroughly 

 explored the Fossil Forest and vicinity and made a small collection of 

 plants that were submitted to Professor Lesquereux. ]\Iost of these plants 

 ' were determined to be new to science, but they were neither named nor 



<j- ' Ann. Kept. U. S. GeoL and Geog. .Surv. Terr, for 1871, pp. 295, 299. 



2 -Op. cit., Kept, lor 1872, p. 403. 



-Op. cit., Kept, fur 1878, Pt. II. pp. 47-50. 



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