Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm - St.George, Utah, USA
N 37° 06.078 W 113° 32.075
12S E 274762 N 4109116
Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm in St George Utah. One of the ten best dinosaur track sites in the world.
Waymark Code: WMG67G
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 01/18/2013
Views: 30
In 2000, local optometrist Dr. Sheldon Johnson was leveling a hill on his property in St. George, Utah. As he removed layers of sedimentary rock, he encountered a thick level of sandstone. As he tore it up in large blocks, a fantastic object was revealed - a three-dimensionally preserved dinosaur track. It was to be the first of thousands of tracks made by dinosaurs and other animals that have now been recognized or recovered from the numerous layers of sandstone and mudstone that formed almost 200 million years ago on the shores of an ancient lake in the vicinity of St. George.
Dr. Johnson had seen dinosaur tracks in the region, but at first he was confused. The footprint he saw was visible in both the brittle clay below and also on the bottom of the sandstone block he had overturned. Experts, including Utah State Paleontologist, Dr. Jim Kirkland, came to help identify additional tracks at the site which revealed the extensive trackways to be found here.
Realizing that these tracks would be best served if they were maintained for scientific and educational purposes, Dr. Johnson and his wife, LaVerna, worked to set aside the land and its fossils. Eventually the Johnsons donated the tracks that had been found and arranged for the land to be cared for by the City of St. George. They worked with scientists, local businesses, and government officials on the local, state, and national level to create the museum that is here today. They founded the DinosaurAh!Torium Foundation that continues to preserve this site as a creative learning environment with hands-on activities that challenge, enlighten, and entertain the minds of all who come.
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Address: 2180 East Riverside Drive St. George, Utah 84790
Winter Hours (Oct 1- Feb 28) - Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM (or other by special arrangement)
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day
Summer Hours (Mar 1-Sept 30) - Open 10 AM - 6 PM, Monday through Saturday (or other by special arrangement). Also open Sundays during Summer Season only.
Admission - Adults (12 & older) - $6.00, Children (ages 4-11) - $3, under 4 - free
Group rates (10 or more in party) - Adults - $4.00, Children - $2, under 4 - free