Winona County Fossil Hunt May 6, 2015

Hi All,

I have been asked to speak on fossils and fossil hunting at noon on May 6th at the Winona History Center. I believe it is free, or $5 if you are not a member, but might want to contact them.

It will be a basic overview and afterward a hunt in the St. Charles area for anyone interested.

I have created a sheet that has a map of 8 fossil hunting sites within 10 miles of St. Charles that are public access. The other side of the sheet has pictures of fossils that you are likely to find in the Galena Formation. It is laminated for durability. These sheets will be for sale in the Winona History Center gift shop – the old Armory building in downtown Winona one block from Hardee’s toward the River. Under $5, so even if you can’t make the lecture or hunt you can still easily find these spots to hunt yourself.

FYI most of the spots are in Amish Country, so please be respectful of the horses/buggies and people. I’ve also noted the Amish store that is open to the public on the map which is always a must stop for me when I’m in the area. Lots of cool stuff at good prices as it is primarily a store for the Amish. There are all kinds of Amish businesses along this fossil route – greenhouses, furniture, etc.

This is NOT an exhaustive list of fossil hunting spots in the area, but it will sure keep you occupied for a weekend at least! And remember that every spring and with every good rain there are more fossils that erode out of the rocks!