Slagle-Stonerose Fossil Site, Republic, Washington – Home of the Ferry Country Historical Society and Heritage Museum

Fifty million years ago, during the early Eocene Epoch, the present day “Okanagan Highlands” – an elevated, hilly plateau that covers parts of British Columbia, Canada and the North-Central portion of the State of Washington – lay beneath the waters of a very large ancient lake.  As the lake bed slowly filled with volcanic ash and sediment, leaves, flowers, fish and insects were trapped in between layers of the resulting mud.  Today that unknown ancient lake is gone, along with the unusual mix of topography and climate that produced and was home to plants and animals that have not been found together in any other known location.               

Since the Stonerose dig site’s discovery by Wes Wehr and Kirk Johnson in 1977, more than 200 different species of plants and animals have been found there in fossilized form. Located on an unassuming road-cut along Knob Hill Road just north of Republic, Washington’s “city center”, the “Boot Hill Fossil Site” provides paleontologists and amateur fossil hunters alike the unprecedented opportunity to discover world-class example of Eocene plant life such as leaves belonging to the rose, birch, maple, and redwood families. The on-site facilities consist of portable toilets and a shaded picnic table. You’ll be spending lots of time in the sun, so remember to bring a sun hat, suntan lotion, and water. If you have a pair of garden knee pads, you may want to bring them along.

As with fishing and gambling, it is possible you could go home empty-handed, but it’s more likely than not that you will find several beautiful, delicate fossil specimens that you will be proud to display in your home.  Finding a fossil at the Stonerose Interpretive Center just takes a bit of patience and maybe a few blisters, yet for years this rocky hillside has yielded a tremendous cache of fossilized remains, making the odds of finding one better than even. There’s a euphoric moment when you find your first fossil – suddenly a nondescript rock becomes a tangible link to the age of the dinosaurs. That spine-tingling moment doesn’t even have to come from a T-Rex or raptor claw – it can overtake you with the first signs of a 52-million-year old leaf skeleton. For some, it may be the beginning of an addicting hunt that will last a lifetime. The best part is that vacationers, rock hounds, and amateur fossil hunters can search this amazing site for their own one-of-a-kind fossils. Warning: be careful, finding fossils is addictive.

                Established in 1989, the Stonerose Interpretive Center and Fossil Site is located on N. Clark Ave. on Republic, Washington’s main thoroughfare. The Boot Hill Fossil Site is a .2 miles walk or drive from the Interpretive Center. Stonerose Dig site is open daily from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. (latest time to start digging is 3 p.m.) through Sept. 4th. Off-season hours vary. Adults $10/kids $5 – Public digging is by permit only. Visitors may retain up to three fossil pieces per person per day, though significant finds must be left at the site. The Boot Hill Fossil Site is owned by the Friends of Stonerose Fossils, a non-profit organization founded by Wes Wehr, Bert Chadick, Madeline Perry, Gary Anderson, Richard Slagle, Klifton Frazier.