FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS FROM THE GRAND CANYON 



By CHARLES W. GILMORE 



curator of vertebrate paleontology, 



united states national museum 



With 12 Plates 



INTRODUCTION 



Tracks of extinct quadrupeds were first discovered in the Grand 

 Canyon in 191 5 by Prof. Charles Schuchert, and specimens collected 

 by him at that time were made the basis of a short paper by Dr. R. S. 

 Lull ^ in which were described two species, Laoporus schucherti and 

 L. noheli, from the Coconino sandstone. 



In the summer of 1924, the locality was visited by Dr. John C. 

 Merriam, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who 

 made a small collection of tracks which were later presented to the 

 United States National Museum. While at the locality, Doctor Mer- 

 riam conceived the idea of having a permanent exhibit of these foot- 

 prints in situ on the Hermit Trail, to teach a lesson as to the great 

 antiquity of the animal life that once roamed over these ancient 

 sands — a lesson that could not fail to be understood by the veriest 

 tyro in geological phenomena. This plan was presented to Hon. 

 Stephen F. Mather, director of the National Park Service, who im- 

 mediately became interested in the project, and, with the aid of 

 friends of the Park Service, arrangements were perfected whereby, 

 in the late fall of 1924, the writer was detailed to visit the locality 

 and prepare such an exhibit, and at the same time to make a col- 

 lection of the footprints for the United States National Museum. 

 Both of these undertakings were successfully carried out. 



The collection made for the Museum, consisting of a series of 

 slabs some 1,700 pounds in weight and carrying a great variety of 

 excellently preserved imprints, is of more than usual interest, es- 

 pecially in coming from a locality and formation in which but the 

 two species of Ichnites mentioned above have been recognized pre- 

 viously. Even with the diversity of forms now secured, it is quite 



^ Amer. Journ. Sci., Ser. 4, Vol. 45, May, 1918, pp. 337-346, pis. 1-3. 

 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 77, No. 9 



