History & Heritage
Explore Fossil Basin and uncover the area’s rich history. While it’s known for it’s paleontological past, there’s plenty more history to dig into. When visiting the Fossil Basin area, a great place to start is the Fossil Country Frontier Museum. The museum features artifacts and information about the area’s past. Exhibits include a replica of an underground coal mine, bootlegging stills, fossils and much more.
Another important part of Fossil Basin history happened in the early 1900s. In 1902, the first J.C. Penney store opened in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The JCPenney Kemmerer Mother Store is still in operation and sells current merchandise. It also features a museum portion with historical artifacts, including a pulley system that was used to deliver cash receipts. In addition to visiting the original JCPenney store, during the summer months, tours are available at the J.C. Penney Homestead, the home of James Cash “J.C.” Penney, Jr., who founded JC Penney. The J.C. Penney Homestead is a National Historic Landmark located just down the block from the ‘Mother Store.’
Located in Fossil Butte National Monument, the Haddenham Cabin is another piece of Kemmerer area history. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a fossil hunter’s dwelling in the early 1900s.
Fossil Hunting & Digging
Unearth a fossil fish in a 52-million-year-old limestone graveyard! The Fossil Basin area has multiple ‘dig-your-own’ fossil quarries located in the hills surrounding ancient Fossil Lake, just west of Kemmerer and Diamondville. When fossil hunting at a private quarry, generally you’ll be able to take home at least some of the common fish fossils that you dig up. Going fossil digging at a private quarry is an incredible experience for people of all ages, especially those interested in the geological history of Earth.
Fossil Butte National Monument is a must-see attraction in the Kemmerer-Diamondville area. At the visitors center, over 300 fossils are displayed, including 10 species of mammals and 15 species of reptiles. These fossils have been found from Fossil Lake, the ancient lake in southwest Wyoming. Fossil Butte National Monument also offers a fossil quarry program during the summer, where you can help look for fossils and learn about the work that paleontologists do. The ranger talks offered also provide a great opportunity to learn more about the area’s history and Fossil Butte’s ecosystem.
Fossil Shops
Fossil Basin is home to a handful of fossil shops where you can purchase fossils that have been unearthed from the Green River Formation and other places around the world. You’ll also find rocks and other specimens at most of these shops.
Stop in and see some incredible pieces, and maybe even find something to take home with you!
Recreation
Discover the outdoors in Kemmerer-Diamondville. The Fossil Basin area offers a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities including hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, wildlife viewing, and bird watching.
The Hams Fork River has multiple access points for fishing near Kemmerer. Other options for fishing in the area include Fontanelle Creek Recreation Area and Smiths Fork.
The Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge offers a variety of activities including fishing, hunting, boating, wildlife watching, and hiking. The refuge is home to a diversity of wildlife including trumpeter swans, moose, pronghorn antelope, bald and golden eagles, elk, river otters, and more.
About 30 miles north of Kemmerer, WY is the Fontenelle Creek Recreation Area which has reservoir access with a fully functional boat ramp, boat dock, campground, picnic tables, and other amenities.
Part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest lies not too far from Kemmerer, providing recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, horseback riding, ATVing, and snowmobiling.
At the Kemmerer Recreation Center, you can enjoy a variety of activities including racquetball, basketball, indoor rock wall, and more, all in a welcoming family-friendly atmosphere.
Related Stories
Quarry Stories: Nature’s Treasures Fossil Fish Adventures
Being able to dig into over 50 million years of sediment is part of what makes Fossil Basin so special; visitors have the rare opportunity to find fossils from the past and rediscover them as treasures of the present. Nature’s Treasures not only understands this, but with their Fossil Fish Adventures quarry outside of Kemmerer, […]
Quarry Stories: Tynsky’s Fossils
Every year, hundreds of visitors get to chisel into the 52-million-year-old history of Fossil Basin’s world-renowned fossil quarries. The experience of fossil digging is something magnificent to share with others. For strangers, friends, and families, it can be a highlight of any adventure, getting to find your part of prehistoric history buried into limestone. In […]
2023 Oyster Ridge Music Festival
The Oyster Ridge Music Festival promises two days of exceptional music in Kemmerer, WY. Mark your calendars for July 21-22, 2023, as Triangle Park comes alive with the music of talented artists from various genres. The 2023 lineup for the Oyster Ridge Music Festival boasts an array of performers who will take the stage and […]
A Guide To Wyoming’s Big Spring Scenic Backway
The Big Spring Scenic Backway meanders through the southern portion of Bridger-Teton National Forest and offers a quintessential Wyoming road experience with minimal traffic, opportunities to spot wildlife, and expansive views of surrounding scenery. Getting To Big Spring Scenic Backway To access the Big Spring Scenic Backway in Wyoming, you have two primary options. If […]
Quarry Stories: In Stone Fossils
Photos courtesy of In Stone Fossils In Stone Fossils is one of Fossil Basin’s family-owned fossil shops specializing in selling high-quality fossils, minerals, and other geological treasures. They offer a wide range of products—including dinosaur bones, ammonites, trilobites, and petrified wood—as well as unique fossil digging experiences such as sunset and night digs. In Stone […]
Quarry Stories: Fossil Safari
By Wolf Johnson When you think of the word “safari”, you may think about traveling across the world and exploring an exotic destination with some unique wildlife. However, south of Kemmerer, Wyoming, you can embark on a different safari, one that will take you millions of years back in time. At Warfield Fossils’ Fossil Safari, […]