Imagine being able to Walk with the Dinosaurs; at Dinosaur Valley Park… Wouldn’t that be incredible? At least you can, Dinosaur Valley Park offers more than just dinosaurs. Whether walking along rocky ledges, swimming in the scenic Paluxy River, or seeing one of the biggest preserved sites; of 1,500 dinosaur tracks in the world. However, Dinosaur Valley State Park has the longest existing dinosaur trackway in North America.
Ever since Jurassic Park and Land of the Lost, as a child, such imaginings were a bit fanciful but yet the yearnings and wonder; of what it was like millions of years ago always leave a subtle presence in anyone’s mind. I never thought how much the possibility could be a reality; at least close to walking with dinosaurs, through a dinosaur’s tracks. So, cool, right?
What are fossilized dinosaur footprints called?
Fossilized dinosaur footprints and tracks are called ichnites and the study of them is known as ichnology. Furthermore, Paleontologists use the size of the imprint, the shape, and the length from one to another to work out what dinosaurs made the prints and how fast they are moving. Moreover, the direction of the prints can tell us something about the landscape at the time the prints were made; and even what the dinosaurs were doing – such as escaping a predator.
Glen Rose
The town of Glen Rose has a population of under 3000 and is known as the “Dinosaur Capital of Texas” because of the state park. And, if you have time after visiting Dinosaur Valley, there are a lot of great things to check out.
Dinosaur Valley State Park, located south of Fort Worth, just northwest of Glen Rose in Somervell County, Texas, is a 1,524.72-acre scenic park set astride the Paluxy River. The land for the park was acquired from private owners under the State Parks Bonds Program in 1968; and opened to the public in 1972. In addition to being a state park, it is also a National Natural Landmark.
Eastward-dipping limestones, sandstones, and mudstones of the Glen Rose Formation were deposited during the early Cretaceous Period approximately 113 million years ago; along the shorelines of an ancient sea, and form the geological setting for the park area. Over the last million years or so, these layered formations have been eroded, dissected, and sculpted by the Paluxy river which, in many places, has cut down to resistant beds; and planed off sizable exposures of rock in the river bottom.
History
Many dinosaur trackways and footprints have been discovered in the riverbed. The tracks were first observed by a local schoolboy (Alton Truman Matthews) at the beginning of the 20th Century; the boy’s teacher recognized the tracks as dinosaur tracks. Large-scale scientific excavation; and documentation were first carried out by paleontologist Roland T. Bird in 1935. The tracks were found in the Lower Cretaceous limestone of the Glen Rose Formation.
Near Dinosaur Valley State Park, in the limestone deposits along the Paluxy River, tracks were found in the Glen Rose Formation as early as 1908. These footprints were once thought to be evidence that humans and non-avian dinosaurs lived at the same time; but now are identified to be created by dinosaurs. However, young-Earth creationists continue to believe that humans and non-avian dinosaurs lived at the same time; a notion that is contrary to the standard view of the geological time scale. Biologist Massimo Pigliucci has noted that geologists in the 1980s’ “clearly demonstrated that no human being left those pints, “but rather “they were in fact metatarsal dinosaur tracks; together with a few pure and simple fakes.
Controversy
The family of George Adams, who claimed to have found human footprints in the Glen Rose Formation, later admitted that Adams’ and some others’ fossil footprints were a hoax. As a matter of fact, Zana Douglas, the granddaughter of George Adams, explained that during the 1930s’ Great Depression her grandfather and other residents of Glen rose made money by making moonshine and selling “dinosaur fossils”. The faux fossils brought $15 to $30 and when the supply ran low, they just carved ore, some with human footprints thrown in.
Although the biggest draw of the state park is the dinosaur tracks, there are 20 miles of trails throughout the park, and Paluxy River flows through the park; and the many hiking trails snake along its shore and into the hills beyond.
So, I encourage everyone, photographer or not, to consider a trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Be it for a hike, to fish, or even swim in the Paluxy River, to reconnect with the child within at the wonder of the Dinosaurs; that once roamed these lands, or simply to find some peace away from the daily grind.