In the fall, I went on field trips to collect Silurian Waldron Shale fossils with two Ohio clubs: NCFC (North Coast Fossil Club — Cleveland area) and CRMS (Columbus Rock and Mineral Society). The quarry (St. Paul, IN) had dumped shale from fresh exposures, providing us literally with tons of material to collect.
While there were abundant brachiopods and ball-shaped corals, along with gastropods and other beasties, I focused on finding trilobites and crinoids. I was fortunate to find several prone Calymene.
Calymene from St. Paul, Indiana.
Also found a bunch of calyxes for Eucalyptocrinites crassus, along with several E. elrodi and Lyriocrinus.
Eucalyptocrinites from St. Paul, Indiana.
This quarry had been closed to collectors for several years. But about three years ago, the owners began allowing club trips. Perhaps the Dry Dredgers can add this locality to the list of 2016 field trips?
Don
Don Bissett
A long-time member of the Dry Dredgers, I’ve been collecting fossils ever since moving to Cincinnati in 1975 to work at P&G. I was introduced to fossil collecting by Bruce Gibson, another Dry Dredger and co-worker at P&G. Shortly after that, I met Dredger Dan Cooper. Both of them taught me a lot about the hobby. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on fossils.
My primary focus is collecting trilobites and echinoderms, though I often find myself accumulating a much wider assortment of fossils. Beyond the collecting hobby, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with professional paleontologists – extremely rewarding experiences. Some of those have been described in Dry Dredger Bulletin articles, MAPS (Mid-American Paleontology Society) articles, and technical publications. I plan to share more about collecting and professional interactions in my blog posts.
Latest posts by Don Bissett (see all)
- Massie Shale Calymene - January 4, 2021
- Mississippian starfish - November 13, 2020
- Walcott-Rust Starfish - October 25, 2020
- Spathacalymene - September 20, 2020
- Penn Dixie Dig with the Experts 2018 - May 27, 2018