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TWOGRAYSQUIRRELS
FOSSIL LETTERBOX CLUES
Last update December 3, 2000
This page contains clues to letterboxes in good fossil collecting sites.
Sandy Mile Letterbox Clues
#1 of the Fossil Series
Western, Maryland
Placed by Squirrel September 16, 2000
Easy, Dogs welcome, no bathrooms
twograysquirrels@aol.com
Begin your trip at Sidling Hill on Interstate-68 near Hancock, Maryland. They have a very nice information center that explains a lot of the rock formations and terms that you will encounter in this series.
There are 2 rock types exposed at this site, the Oriskany Sandstone and the Heilderberg limestone. These sands are used for making glass. The Heilderberg group is the lower most strata of the Devonian system in this area. Both groups are fooiliferous.
When you have seen and read everything proceed west on I-68 and exit at the first available exit. Turn leftover bridge and re-enter I-68 East. Exit at Woodmont Road, bear right and then make a left on Route 144. Drive a short distance and trun left onto Sandy Mile Road. Quarry is about 1 mile down on the right just before a bridge.
Park your car along the side of the road and take the trail past the Oriskany Sandstone. Follow the trail a little way down a slight incline back into the woods. It opens to a large clearing where a limestone quarry is. Look around at the base of that quarry and in those stones for fossils. I found a few small ones. When you have finished collecting go back the way you came and look for a tire to the left of the trail. You should find another fossil in there. When you get back to your car and the road go to the left a little bit and look in the sandstone there and you should find some large shell fossils in there. Good hunting.
McCoy's Ferry Fossils
#2 of the Fossil Series
Western Maryland
Placed by Squirrel September 16, 2000
Easy, Dogs welcome, no bathrooms
twograysquirrels@aol.com
From Hancock take I-70 East and exit at Route 56, bear right. Continue past Ft. Frederick State Park to a right turn onto McCoy's Ferry Road. Proceed under railroad bridge and park. Fossils can be found in the road cut near the railroad bridge. The sandy shales of the Devonian Hamilton member are richly fossiliferous. A large fauna is dominated by the brachiopods, pelecypods and gastropods. When you pockets are full of fossils look for one more at the base of one of the bridge supports.
Pinto Anticline Letterbox
# 3 of the Fossil Series
Pinto, Maryland
Easy, dogs allowed, no bathrooms
October 13, 2000
twograysquirrels@aol.com
From Cumberland, Maryland take 220 South. Left (southeast) onto Pinto Road at Pinto Mennonite Church. Follow this road to the dead end. Park and walk under the railroad tracks. Follow the trail to the left. When you get to the tracks walk to the right noticing the rock formations and how they are standing on edge. This is one of the finest Silurian carbonate exposures within the Central Appalachians. Progressing eastward along the tracks toward the core of the anticline, the bedding orientations range from overturned to vertical and back again to over turned. The entire anticlinal crest has been eroded. As one approaches the crestal portion, localized Alpine-type deformation can see observed, i.e. refolded folds, chevron folds with sub-horizontal axial planes, near boudinage-like structures. In other words it is pretty cool the way the rock layers are bent and in some cases look like stair steps. You will begin walking by the youngest layers of rocks with the Keyser formation and proceed thru the Tonoloway formation (check for fossils in the limestone) to the Wills Creek about midway down. In the middle of this section you should find a man made cave. Climb up into it, be careful not to get hit by a train. Notice the walls. They look like mud cracks. Millions of years ago these walls were a large body of water that evaporated. As it did the mud cracks were formed. Later when Africa collided with America the cracks were squished, making them elongated and then later still they were compressed and folded to such a degree that they ended up vertically as you see here. The box is located near the entrance of the cave on the right side as you enter. Near Joanna -n-Tim. Look under the rocks in yes, the poison ivy. Sorry. It isn't very thick. If you go back to the tracks and continue along, the rocks get older and you will go past the Bloomsburg, McKenzie and Keefer sections, ending with the Rose Hill formation. At the Rose Hill section you will notice how pink looking the rock are, this is because of the large amount of hematite present in those rocks. These are the oldest rocks along this section. You might find some fossils here.
Fairfax Stone Letterbox Clues
Near Thomas, West Virginia
#4 in the Fossil Series
Placed by Squirrel on October 15, 2000
Easy, dogs OK
A long time ago Lord Fairfax followed the Potomac River to its origin and there he placed a large stone marking the event. Your search begins at that stone. From the parking lot go to the stone and cross the Potomac River. You made need a life jacket, but then again, you may not. Cross the field to where the fence ends. Take the trail up a slight hill and cross another field. At this point you are crossing a reclaimed strip mine. Under the soil and grass there is coal. Go thru the center of the field to the crest of the field and look to your right for a ditch. Go to that ditch and look around in the slate for some very cool fern fossils. Very nice stuff. When you have your fill of plant fossils, (leave some for others) return the way you came. As you go back down the hill into the woods look to your left for some trees. The letterbox is at the base of one of those near the trail. Good luck!
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