The Agate Fossil Beds celebrate two very distinctive things, the fossils themselves and the relationship between James H. Cook and the Lakota Chief Red Cloud.
About 19-20 million years ago, drought struck the western Nebraska plains. There were few shallow water holes where all animals gathered in search of food and water. As the drought deepened, the animals died near these water holes and over time their skeletons were buried in the silt, fine sand and volcanic ash that was carried by the winds. Today, an ancient waterhole with hundreds of fossilized skeletons is preserved in the Niobrara River valley; it is Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Nebraska.
Most of land that is now the monument was once part of the Agate Springs Ranch owned by James & Kate Cook. James found “a beautifully petrified piece of the shaft of some creatures leg bone.” This lead to the beginning of discovery and research at Agate Springs. First to come was Erwin Barbour. He found strange Devil’s Corkscrews and thought they were made by plant roots. Later scientists found that not to be true. They found small rodent like skeletons, later named Palaeocastor, in the corkscrews thus proving that it was not plants but animals who burrowed the corkscrews leading to dens where they made their homes. Subsequently, investigation was begun by several groups and continues to today.
The first discovery revealed a large bone deposit at what had once been a water hole. It was a bit surprising to learn of the now extinct animals once roamed this area. There was a beaver like animal that had powerful clawed forearms for digging and long, curved teeth. There were gazelle-camel like creatures about two feet tall. They grazed the grasslands beside a three-toed, pony-sized rhinoceroses. These rhino mammals were the most common animal found. They may have roamed in large herds. Rare ancestors of the modern horse were also found. Related to both the horse and the rhino, it was large, had back legs shorter than the front and great claw like hooves. Must have been a sight to see. One of the most interesting to me was the fossil remains of beardogs. These carnivores lived in dens which represent one of the few paleontological sites of this type in the world. It has been a tedious journey for scientists. Because the bone bed held thousands of unconnected bones, it must have been quite a chore to bring any of them together to form a picture. Luckily they found skulls in tact that enabled them to determine age and diet of some of the fossils.
The monument is also home to a wonderful collection of Lakota Indian gifts that were presented to Harold Cook. Harold Cook and his wife Eleanor once lived on the property in what is dubbed the Bone Cabin. It was a one room cabin and accompanying frame windmill. It sits out in the open prairie a reminder of the hardships early settlers endured. Over the years the cabin was used by scientists and others but today it is part of the monument. We could have walked out to see it up close, however rattle snakes abound in this area and we were not too keen to go out amongst them.
James Cook was a frontiersman, hunter and scout before he settled on the Niobrara River. He first met Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota Indians in 1874 when Professor Othniel C. Marsh came to the area looking for fossils. The Oglala Lakota (Sioux) were suspicious of Marsh because most white men they had encountered were looking for gold. But Cook helped convince Red Cloud and the other Oglala that Marsh was what he said he was, a bone hunter.
As the years passed, Cook often helped the Oglala and Cheyenne. A strong friendship developed between the Cook family and the Indians. They brought gifts and told Cook stories about the individual items. The collection of these gifts are now part of the visitor center. They are housed in a special climate controlled room protected from the elements and visitor’s hands.
Two of the most outstanding items in the collection are pictographs painted on hides. The custom of creating these pictographs was practiced by many of the Indian tribes as a way to record the history of events or the people themselves. One of these is the story of the Battle of Greasy Grass. It chronicles the battle of June 25, 1896 better known as the Battle of the Little Big Horn or Custer’s Last Stand. It is an amazing piece of art. The other is a pictograph painted by Red Cloud’s wife. It chronicles events from the creation. When you look at the piece, creation is in the center and each element follows in a circular fashion to the end. There was a book that told exactly what each picture represented. Such an amazing, precious piece. Other items in the collection are beautifully beaded moccasins, bags, pipe bags and other items of clothing. There was a saddle designed for a woman. There were pipes and war clubs and all sorts of items that would be used in everyday life. The bead work was really amazing. I admire anyone who can bead as I find it tedious and not something I like to do.
We left the monument and headed back to camp. We have learned a great deal about the history of our country from millions of year ago through how the West was populated. Tomorrow we leave this area and head to Idaho.
Pictograph painting of the Battle of Little Big Horn or the Battle of Greasy Grass as the Lakota Indians called it.
