In the summer and fall, I went with two area clubs to collect the Devonian Silica Shale at the commercial rock quarry in Paulding, Ohio. The two clubs were NCFC (North Coast Fossil Club — Cleveland area) and FUMMP (Friends of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology — Ann Arbor area).
On one trip, we were allowed to collect on a small shale exposure in the quarry itself. For the other trip, we collected piles of shale that had been dumped onto a hill a few years ago – the quarry calls this the Rock Garden. In spite of being weathered, partially overgrown with weeds, and picked over by many groups since being dumped, the shale still produced large numbers of brachiopods and horn coral. Among the other fossils found there are small blastoids.
But I focused on trilobites, of course. After all, Paulding is well known as a source of large Phacops (Eldridgeops). On one trip I found a 2.5-inch prone specimen (exposed ventrally in a large chunk of hard shale). On the other trip, I found three enrolled specimens – and traded for three more! So, some fantastic collecting.
Enrolled Phacops from Paulding, Ohio.
Thanks to the quarry management for their generosity in letting us collect there. Looking forward to collecting in 2016.
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.
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