The Big Stump

The Big Stump. . In front of you is one of the largest fossils in the park, a massive petrified redwood stump. The Big Stump is all that remains of a redwood tree that may have been more than 230 feet (70 meters) tall and 500-1,000 years old when the lahar buried its base. You can still see the lahar deposit directly behind the stump today. , In the late 1800s, local residents excavated the Big Stump and it became an attraction, drawing tourists to this area. , Before this area was protected, a failed attempt was made to saw the Big Stump into pieces that could be transported to display at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Notice the rusty broken saw blades still embedded in the top of the stump. , One Piece at a Time , Early accounts describe the valley as being littered with petrified wood. As word spread, the Florissant area became a popular tourist destination. Exploitation, constant collecting, and thoughtless destruction continued for nearly 100 years. There is no way to assess the damage done or the loss of rare scientific evidence during this period. , Shelters now protect some of the remaining stumps from weathering, and laws strictly prohibit fossil collecting. A variety of conservation methods to stabilize and preserve the stumps have been proposed and tried over the years, and the National Park Service continues to work towards the best solution. , When this photograph of the Big Stump was taken in 1893, tourists had easy access to collect the shale fossils and petrified wood. , Caption: Some of the key geologic layers of the Florissant fossil beds can be clearly seen behind the Big Stump and further up the hill.