Dinosaur tracks discovered near Kanab, Utah

[trekz 7]

Dinosaur tracks discovered in Utah

 

KANAB, Utah - Tracks from half a dozen species of dinosaurs turned up in a southern Utah area popular with ATV riders. An area the size of a football field was closed to protect thousands of three-toed and other tracks, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the property about 5 miles southwest of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Kane County.

 

"Some people knew the tracks were out there, but we didn't," BLM spokesman Larry Crutchfield told The Salt Lake Tribune for a story posted online Thursday. "But most people didn't even know they were riding over dinosaur tracks."

 

The tracks were laid down across dozens of layers of rock, revealing a geologic record like the pages from a book.

 

They include tracks of a sharp-toothed and clawed carnivore, a three-toed crocodile and a large plant-eating species.

 

BLM paleontologist Alan Titus said the latest track find is extraordinary for its accessibility and high concentration of footprints.

 

"A local ATV rider told me about the site and I had planned to go see them," Titus said. "But when I saw a picture of the site, I had to get out there. I had no idea there were so many."

 

Southern Utah is known for dinosaur fossils and tracks from the Jurassic period. These animals lived about 190 million years ago in a harsh desert that got intermittent deluges.

 

"You rarely find herbivores in a desert," said Martin Lockley, who heads the Dinosaur Tracks Museum at the University of Colorado at Denver.

 

The prints in the sandstone are at least 100 million older than the fossils being extracted in neighboring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, said paleontologist Andrew Milner, curator at the Johnson Farm track site in nearby St. George.

___

Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com

END ARTICLE ---------------------------------------------------------

 

Very interesting and a great find. But I find it disturbing that some tracks may have been destroyed by ATV activity. I wish riding such vehicles could be limited to areas where they do not threaten historic or scientfic

materials!

[Kor37 9]

Utah has tons of dinosaur tracks and fossils. A class my son is taking is actually planning to do a field trip there.

[trekz 7]

Utah has tons of dinosaur tracks and fossils. A class my son is taking is actually planning to do a field trip there.

Very cool, Kor. I'd love to hear details of your son's field trip!

 

Travelling in Utah a few years ago, I learned of Kanab's connections with Western films. We stayed at a hotel where lots of stars used to stay while filming in the area. We also took a ride on a very bumpy road on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to a site with a few very old half buildings and full buildings used in the past for such filming. Some locals were trying to preserve the remaining buildings, but one had recently colapsed. The rock formations in the area were very diverse and looked perfect for filming backdrops for a film.

[Kor37 9]

Many old westerns were filmed there. Unfortunately, the site hasn't been used in quite some time and is rapidly falling into disrepair. Its a shame that the site hasn't been able to be preserved.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I think I mentioned in another thread I had been to Vernal Utah where they have the Dinosaur Monument - really fascinating. The West in general is quite fascinating - someday I hope to take another visit to that part of the country.

 

On a less positive note - Southern Utah was exposed to radioactive fallout from the Nevada nuclear test site - maybe a good reason to quit filming there.

[trekz 7]

Kor when were you last at Kanab? I was last there in 1997. It is a shame that more of those sets weren't preserved as a piece of movie history.

 

TUH, you should definitely travel out west. There are many beautiful places. Despite the radiation :huh: , Zion and Bryce National Parks are amazing in Utah. In Arizona, another great site for Westerns, a special favorite of director John Ford, is Monument Valley. Farther west, Canyon De Chelley is nice. Of course the Grand Canyon is amazing. Red Rock Canyon is nice. Tucson is cool as are the parks near the city. And two of my favorite National Parks are in Wyoming - Yellowstone and Grand Teton. I would love to go out there again soon.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

What I don't get is what were all these dinosaurs doing in Kanab, Utah? It's not like dinosaurs had much need for ATV tracks and there must have been more interesting places to visit.

[Kor37 9]

Kor when were you last at Kanab? I was last there in 1997. It is a shame that more of those sets weren't preserved as a piece of movie history.

 

TUH, you should definitely travel out west. There are many beautiful places. Despite the radiation :huh: , Zion and Bryce National Parks are amazing in Utah. In Arizona, another great site for Westerns, a special favorite of director John Ford, is Monument Valley. Farther west, Canyon De Chelley is nice. Of course the Grand Canyon is amazing. Red Rock Canyon is nice. Tucson is cool as are the parks near the city. And two of my favorite National Parks are in Wyoming - Yellowstone and Grand Teton. I would love to go out there again soon.

I've never been to Kanab. Being a western history buff, I've read a lot about it though. I have been to many other places in the west. Arizona is my favorite place to go. I make a pilgrimage to Tombstone every couple of years. I've been to Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon as well as Tucson. All very beautiful places. The next trip out west I'm planning will be to go to South Dakota. I will stay in Deadwood and travel to Custer's battlefield as well as Mount Rushmore. I've always wanted to see these places and they are all right around each other.

[Wishfire 2]

Arizona is my favorite place to go. I make a pilgrimage to Tombstone every couple of years. I've been to Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon as well as Tucson. All very beautiful places.

 

I was in Tucson for Thanksgiving. I never expected to see forests of cacti.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I've never been to Oregon or Washington but made it to California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. I've seen the Sequoia's but not the Redwoods which I'd like to see and I never made it to Yellowstone - which I'd like to go back for.

 

I'd like to see Mesa Verde and "four corners" just for the heck of it. And, yes, I'd really like to visit Roswell, NM :spacecraft: and see more of Texas than I-10.

 

Yep, I've seen the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls but never been to the Everglades.

[Wishfire 2]

The sequoias are cool. Have you seen the hollow one with all the dates and names carved into the inside? I love that one. My father-in-law owns land up near there, so I've been several times. I built a snowman inside it once.

 

:huh:

Edited December 5, 2007 by NutcrackerOmega

[trekz 7]

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was one of my favorite places we visited in Tucson. It is a zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden all in one. It has animals like Mexican wolves, ocelots, jaguarundi, black bears, river otters, bighorn sheep, coyote, javelinas, black-tailed prairie dogs, and roadrunners.

 

Going back to dinosaurs, on a trip to Canada in 2001, we stopped at Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, Alberta. Lots of varied rock formations and exhibits on fossils, and dinosaurs. I would recommend it. We didn't get to the Tyrell Museum, which is farther north and is supposed to be amazing.

Edited December 5, 2007 by reindeertrekzonnewsnow

[trekz 7]

Here's a long list of films and TV series filmed in and around Kanab and Kane County in S. Utah. Lots of memories!

 

A List of Motion Pictures and TV Movies filmed in

Kanab & Kane County.

Also known as

"Utah’s Little Hollywood"

 

1924 Deadwood Coach - (Johnson Canyon) Tom Mix

1929 In Old Arizona - (Kanab Area, Zion N.P.) Warner Baxter, Edmund Lowe

1930 The Big Trail - (Zion N.P., Arizona Strip) John Wayne, Raoul Walsh, Marguerite Churchill

1934 Dude Ranger - (Johnson Canyon, Eagle Arch) George O'Brian, Irene Hervey

1936 Romona - (Johnson Canyon) Loretta Young, Don Ameche

1937 The Bad Man of Brimstone - (Johnson Canyon) Wallace Beery, Dennis O'Keefe, Virginia Bruce

1938 The Lone Ranger - (Kanab Canyon) Lee Powell, Chief Thundercloud, George Montgomery

1938 Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock - (Kanab Area) Bill Elliot, Monte Blue, Chief Thundercloud

1939 Drums Along the Mohawk - (Duck Creek, Kanab Canyon) John Ford, Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Ward Bond

1939 Westbound Stage - (Kanab Area) Tex Ritter, Nelson McDowell, Muriel Evens

1939 Stagecoach - (McDonald Ranch, Hwy 89) John Ford , John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Yakima Canutt, Ward Bond

1939 Feud on the Range - (Kanab Area) Bob Steele, Charles King, Richard Cramer

1939 Union Pacific - (Iron Spring, Cedar City) Cecil B. DeMille, Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, Akim Tamiroff

1939 Lure of the Wasteland - (Kanab Area) Grant Withers, LeRoy Mason

1940 Brigham Young, Frontiersman - (Kanab Area) Tyrone Power, Dean Jagger,Vincent Price, Linda Darnell

1940 Wagon Train - (Kanab Area, Paria Townsite) Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Martha O’Driscoll

1940 Kit Carson - (Kanab Area) John Hall, Dana Andrews

1940 The Fargo Kid - (Kanab) Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Paul Fix

1941 Billy the Kid - (Kanab Canyon) Robert Taylor, Chill Wills, Brian Donlevy, Ian Hunter

1941 Western Union - (Kanab) Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger

1942 Arabian Nights - (Coral Pink Sand Dunes) Jon Hall, Sabu, Leif Erickson, Maria Montez

1943 War of the Wildcats or In Old Oklahoma - (Kanab) John Wayne, Martha Scott, Dale Evans

1943 The Desperados - (Kanab) Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, Claire Trevor, Evelyn Keyes

1943 My Friend Flicka - (Duck Creek, Kanab) Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster, Rita Johnson

1944 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - (Coral Pink Sand Dunes) Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Andy Devine

1944 Can't Help Singing - (Duck Creek, Strawberry Point) Deanna Durbin, Robert Page, Akim Tamiroff

1944 Buffalo Bill - (Johnson Canyon, Paria) Joel McCrea, Maureen O'Hara, Linda Darnell, Anthony Quinn

1945 Thunderhead, Son of Flicka - (Duck Creek, Kanab Canyon) Preston Foster, Roddy McDowell, Rita Johnson

1946 Smoky - (Kanab) Fred McMurray, Anne Baxter, Burl Ives, Bruce Cabot

1947 Ramrod - (Kanab) Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Preston Foster, Llyod Bridges, Donald Crisp

1947 Slave Girl - (Kanab) Yvonne De Carlo, Broderick Crawford, Andy Devine, George Brent

1947 Thunder in the Valley - (Kanab) Lon McCallister, Peggy Ann Gardner, Edmund Gwenn, Reginald Owen

1948 < U>Black Bart - (Kanab) Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, John McIntre

1948 Fort Apache - (Kanab Movie Fort) John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple

1948 Green Grass of Wyoming - (Kanab, Three Lakes) Charles Coburn, Peggy Cummings, Lloyd Nolan, Burl Ives

1948 Fury at Furnace Creek - (Kanab Movie Fort) Victor Mature, Coleen Gray

1949 Stallion Canyon - (Kanab Area) Ken Curtis, Shug Fisher, Carolina Cotton

1949 The Big Cat - (Kanab Area) Lon McCallister, Peggy Ann Garner, Forrest Tucker

1949 Calamity Jane and Sam Bass - (Kanab Canyon) Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff

1949 Red Canyon - (Kanab Canyon, Kanab Race Track, Paria) Howard Duff, Ann Blyth

1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - (Kanab Area) John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson

1950 The Outriders - (Kanab Area) Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, Claude Jarman Jr.

1950 Seirra - (Kanab Canyon, Duck Creek) Audie Murphy, Wanda Hendrix, Tony Curtis, Dean Jagger, Burl Ives

1950 Kansas Raiders - (Kanab Area) Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman

1951 Oh, Susanna - (Kanab Area) Rod Camron, Lorna Gray, Forrest Tucker

1951 Cattle Drive - (Paria) Joel McCrea, Dean Stockwell, Chill Wills

1952 Ride the Man Down - (Kanab Area) Brian Donlevy, Rod Cameron, Ella Raines

1952 Bugles in the Afternoon - (Kanab Canyon) Ray Milland, Helena Carter, Hugh Marlow, George Reeves, Forrest Tucker

1952 The Lion and the Horse - (Zion N.P.) Steve Cochran, Ray Teal, Bob Steele

1952 Westward the Woman - (Johnson Canyon, Paria, The Gap, Kanab Canyon) Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, John McIntire

1953 Pony Express - (The Gap, Johnson Canyon, Kanab Canyon) Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, Forrest Tucker, Jan Sterling

1953 Ride, Vaquero! - (Kanab Area) Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Anthony Quinn, Howard Keel, Jack Elam

1954 Yellow Tomahawk - (Kanab Canyon, Three Lakes, Kanab Movie Fort, Strawberry Point) Rory Calhoun, Peggie Castle, Rita Moreno, Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef

1954 Southwest Passage - (Kanab Area) Joanne Dru, Rod Cameron, John Ireland

1955 Bandit In Black - (?) ?

1955 Fort Yuma - (Kanab Movie Fort) Peter Graves, Joan Taylor, Joan Vohs, John Hudson

1955 Ghost Town - (Kanab Area) Kent Taylor, John Smith, Marian Carr, John Doucette

1955 No Place To Ride - (?) ?

1956 Stagecoach to Fury - (Kanab Area) Forrest Tucker, Mari Blanchard, Wallace Ford

1956 The Lone Ranger - (Kanab Canyon) Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels

1956 Quinncannon, Frontier Scout - (Kanab Movie Fort, Cedar Mnt., Strawberry Point, Pipe Spring) Tony Martin, Peggy Castle

1956 The Rainmaker - (Kanab) Katherine Hepburn, Burt Lancaster, Lloyd Bridges, Earl Holliman

1956 Jubal - (Kanab Movie Fort, The Gap) Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Rod Steiger, Charles Bronson, Jack Elam, Noah Beery Jr.

1957 The Badge of Marshall Brennan - (Kanab Area) Jim Davis, Lee Van Cleef, Marty Robbins

1957 Trooper Hook - (Kanab Area, Three Lakes) Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Earl Holliman, John Dehner

1957 Copper Sky - (Kanab Area) Jeff Morrow, Coleen Gray, Strother Martin

1957 War Drums - (Kanab Canyon, Johnson Canyon) Lex Barker, Ben Johnson, Joan Taylor

1957 Dragoon Wells Massacre - (Kanab Area) Dennis O'Keefe, Barry Sullivan, Sebastion Cabot

1957 The Dalton Girls - (Johnson Canyon) Merry Anders, Lisa Davis, Penny Edwards, Sue George

1957 Ride a Violent Mile - (Kanab Area) John Agar, Penny Edwards, Sheb Wooley

1957 The Girl in Black Stockings - (Kanab, Parry Lodge, Three Lakes, Moqui Cave) Lex Barker, Anne Baxter, Mamie Van Doren, Marie Windsor, John Dehner

1957 Revolt at Fort Laramie - (Kanab Movie Fort) John Dehner, Gregg Palmer, Frances Helm

1957 Tomahawk Trail - (Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab Area) Chuck Connors, John Smith, Susan Cummings

1957 Raiders of Old California - (Kanab Area) Jim Davis, Faron Young, Marty Robbins, Arleen Whelan, Lee Van Cleef

1957 Fort Dobbs - (Kanab Movie Fort, The Gap, Kanab Area) Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo, Brian Keith

1958 The Badlanders - (Kanab Area) Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado

1958 Fort Bowie - (Kanab Movie Fort) Ben Johnson, Jan Harrison

1959 Ten Who Dared - (Glen Canyon) Brian Keith, James Drury, Ben Johnson

1959 Timbuktu - (Kanab Area) Victor Mature, Yvonne DeCarlo, John Dehner

1961 The Misfits - (Kanab Area) Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift

1962 Sergeants Three - (Paria, Johnson Canyon) Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop

1964 Ballad of a Gunfighter - (Kanab Area) Marty Robbins, Joyce Redd, Robert Barron

1965 Convict Stage - (Kanab Area) Harry Lauter, Don Barry, Jodi Mitchell

1965 Fort Courageous - (Kanab Movie Fort) Fred Beir, Don Barry, Hanna Landy

1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told - (Lake Powell, Glen Canyon NRA) Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Dorothy Mcguire,Wayne, Martin Landau, Pat Boone, Telly Savalas

1966 The Plainsman - (Kanab Area) Don Murray, Guy Stockwell, Abby Dalton, Leslie Nielson

1966 Duel at Diablo - (Paria, Johnson Canyon) James Garner, Sidney Poitier, Dennis Weaver, Bibi Anderson

1966 Ride in the Whirlwind - (Paria, Johnson Canyon) Jack Nicholson, Cameron Mitchell, Millie Perkins

1966 The Shooting - (Johnson Canyon, Glen Canyon NRA) Jack Nicholson, Will Hutchins, Millie Perkins

1967 El Dorado - (Kanab Area) John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt

1967 Brighty of Grand Canyon - (Duck Creek, Grand Canyon North Rim) Joseph Cotten, Pat Conway, Dick Foran

1967 The Long Ride Home or A time f or Killing - (Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab Area, Zion NP) Glen Ford, Inger Stevens, Paul Peterson, George Hamilton, Max Baer

1967 A Rough Night in Jerico - (Kanab Area) Dean Martin, George Pappard, Jean Simmons, John McIntire

1968 Bandolero! - (Kanab Canyon, Glen Canyon NRA) James Stewart, Dean Martin,Raquel Welch, George Kennedy, Harry Carey Jr.

1968 Planet of the Apes - (Lake Powell, Kanab Canyon) Charlton Heston, Roddy Mcdowell, Kim Hunter, Linda Harrison

1969 The Despardos - (Kanab Area) Jack Palance, Neville Brand,George Maharis, Vince Edwards

1969 Mackenna's Gold - (Kanab Canyon, Paria, Johnson Canyon) Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Eli Wallace, Keenan Wynn, Edward G. Robinson, Raymond Massey, Lee J. Cobb, Burgess Meredith, Julie Newmar

1973 The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing - (?) Burt Reynolds, Sarah Miles, Lee J. Cobb, George Hamilton, Jay Silverheels

1973 One Little Indian - (Kanab Canyon, Kanab Movie Fort, Coral Pink Sand Dunes) James Garner, Vera Miles, Jodie Foster, Clay O'Brian, Jay Silverheels

1974 Run to the High Country - (Kanab Area) Directed by Keith Larsen

1976 The Outlaw Josey Wales - (Kanab Canyon, Paria) Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon

1976 Across the Great Divide - (?) Robert Logan, Heather Rattray, Mark Edward Hall

1977 Brigham - (Kanab Area) Howard Culver, Richard Moll

1977 The Car - (Kanab Area, Zion NP) James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley

1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic - (Glen Canyon NRA) Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Louise Fletcher

1979 The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again - (Kanab Movie Fort) Tim Conway, Don Knots, Audrey Trotter, Elam, Tim Matheson

1980 Windwalker - (Kanab Area) Trevor Howard, Nick Ramus, Dusty McCrea, Chief Tug Smith

1991 Beastmaster II - (Glen Canyon NRA) Marc Singer, Wings Hauser, Sara Douglas

1991 Point Break - (?) Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reaves

1994 Maverick - (Lone Rock, Lake Powell) Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner

1995 Tall Tale - (Bigwater, Lake Powell) Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Scott Glenn

1995 Wind Runner - (Kanab Area, Barracks Ranch) Russel Beams, Margot Kidder, Jason Wiles

1996 Broken Arrow - (Glen Canyon NRA, Lake Powell) John Travolta, Christian Slater

2001 Evolution - (Glen Canyon NRA, Lake Powell) David Duchovny, Dan Aykroyd, Julianne Moore

2001 Planet of the Apes - (Lake Powell) Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter

Specials, Documentaries, Made for TV Movies, and Mini-Series

1969 Cutter's Trail - (Kanab Movie Fort) John Gavin, Beverly Garland, Joseph Cotton, Nehemiah Persoff

1971 The Devil and Miss Sarah - (Kanab Area) Gene Barry, James Drury, Slim Pickins

1972 The Alex Joseph Story - (Bigwater) Documentary

1976 The Bionic Boy - (Kanab Area) Lee Majors, Vincent Van Patten, Frank Gifford

1977 In Search of Noah's Ark - (Kanab Area) Documentary: Brad Crandall, Narrator

1978 Greatest Heros of the Bible - (Kanab Area, Coral Pink Sand Dunes) Lew Ayers, John Carradine, Anne Francis, Carol Lawrence

1979 Donner Pass: The Road to Survival - (Kanab) Robert Fuller, Diane McBain, Andrew Prine, John Doucette

1979 How the West Was Won - (Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab Canyon, Johnson Canyon, Duck Creek) James Arness, Boxleitner, Kathlyn Holcomb, Jack Elam

1983 Hidden Secrets of the Grand Canyon - (Kanab Area) Directed by Keith Merrill

1983 History of the Chuck Wagon - (Kanab Area) Documentary

1993 Salmon Run -

1996 Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods/IMAX Theater - (Sand Caves) Directed by Keith Merrill

 

Television Series

The Lone Ranger

Death Valley Days

Have Gun Will Travel

Daniel Boone

Gunsmoke

Six Million Dollar Man

Grizzly Adams

Edited December 6, 2007 by reindeertrekzonnewsnow

[Kor37 9]

Those were the days! They used to crank out several Westerns a week I think!

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Can't say I saw too many of those - although I actually remember seeing "Westward the women" when I was a child - why I remember that I don't know and pretty sure I saw stagecoach - Mom was a John Wayne fan. I do remember the Apple Dumpling Game - but it never would have occured to me the Six Million Dollar Man was filmed there. But appropriate the 94 Maverick was filmed there.

 

Interesting that both Planet of the Apes were filmed there -

 

And, I've been to Lake Powell - just didn't connect it was in the same county.