FOSSIL FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 



301 



FOSSIL FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 



By Prof. SAMUEL E. TILLMAN. 



THE fossil forests of the Yellowstone Park are among its most 

 interesting features, but they are as yet not within ready 

 reach of the tourist, and so little has been published about them 

 that only a few have definite knowledge of them. It is accord- 

 ingly believed that the accompanying notes in regard to them will 

 be of general interest. 



The locality to which the term fossil forest has especial refer- 

 ence is along the west rim wall of the valley of the Lamar River, 



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Fig. 1. — Point of Specimen Eidge: a, 5, c, Petkified Stumps. 



or East Fork of the Yellowstone, opposite the mouth of Soda Butte 

 Creek. The same arrangement of petrified stumps and trees is, 

 however, found at many other places in this region separated by 

 considerable distances — as much as thirty miles. The general 

 physical conditions that brought about the existing state of affairs 

 is so plainly shown by the present exposures that they can not be 

 mistaken. 



The petrifactions were visited at several places, but the descrip- 

 tion appended refers to a part of the ridge designated on the map 

 of the Geological Survey as Specimen Ridge, at a point about six 

 miles east of the junction of the Lamar and Yellowstone Rivers. 



