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Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Harrison, NE

Located on the Niobrara River in northwestern Nebraska, the Agate Fossil Beds and its surrounding prairie are preserved in a 3,000 acre National Monument. Once part of "Captain" James H. Cook's Agate Springs Ranch, the nearby beds are an important source for 19.2 million year-old Miocene epoch mammal fossils. Cook's ranch also became a gathering place for Chief Red Cloud and other Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Indian people. The monument's Cook Collection of American Indian artifacts reflects years of gifts brought by the Indians during visits to the ranch from the 1880's through the early 1900's.

CONTACTS

Email - AGFO_Superintendent@nps.gov

Fax- 308-668-2318

Write to
301 River Road
Harrison, NE 69346-2734

Phone
Headquarters - (308)668-2211

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS: Daily, year-round: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving Days. Hours extended during the summer.

Getting There
PLANE - Nearest air service is available through Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, approximately 50 miles southeast of the monument.

CAR - To the park: access to region by automobile via Interstates 80, 90 and 25, and various state highways and county roads.

Visitors traveling east-west on U.S. Highway 26, turn North on State Highway 29 at Mitchell, Nebraska. The park is 34 miles from Mitchell. Visitors traveling on U.S. Highway 20, turn South on State Highway 29 at Harrison, Nebraska. The park is 22 miles from Harrison. Follow the National Park Service signs.

In Park: personal vehicles and paved and unpaved trails.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation available.

Weather & Climate
Generally sunny and dry in the summer, with occasional afternoon thundershowers. Windy and cold in winter. Wear comfortable clothing appropriate to season. Hats are useful against exposure to sun. Good walking shoes are recommended for use on hiking trails.

Accessibility
Virtually all of the facilities at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument are wheelchair accessible except for the trails. The 12- minute laserdisc movie "The Fossil Hills" is closed captioned.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
ANNUAL PARK PASS
$15.00 for Annual
Good at Agate Fossil Beds N.M., Scotts Bluff N.M., and Fort Laramie N.H.S.

INDIVIDUAL
$2.00 for 7 Days

VEHICLE
$5.00 for 7 Days

CAMPING

No in-park camping is available

LODGING

No in-park lodging is available

FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
AGATE FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Phone - (308) 668-2211
Closures - Closed: Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving Days
Special Programs - From Memorial through Labor Day weekends ranger conducted walks and talks are available on request and begin in the visitors center. Subjects covered during the walks may include geology, paleontology, botany, zoology, and ranching history. The Cook Collection and fossils are common topics of ranger talks. During the months of June, July and August 2000, five Lakota artists will be participating in a traditional artist in residence program at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The artists create original artwork in the visitor center, demonstrating their expertise and sharing Lakota culture with visitors. Finished pieces are often available for purchase by visitors. Artists participating this year are: Nathan Blindman, Bernadine Ten Fingers, Christine Red Cloud, Sam Two Bulls, and Robert White.
Exhibits - The visitor center houses three rooms of exhibits, the Hitchcock Theater and the Cook Collection Gallery. The life size fossil diorama depicts life and death at the Agate waterhole, 19.2 million years in the past. An interactive computer tour offers visitors a glimpse of things to bee seen on the monument's two trails. About 200 artifacts are displayed in The James H. Cook Collection Gallery, "A Window onto Lakota Life." Visitors can view special gifts given to the Cook family including a porcupine quilled tanned antelope ceremonial shirt worn by Chief Red Cloud, a memorable whetstone used by Chief Crazy Horse, and a war club used by Oglala leader American Horse at The Fetterman Massacre. Chief Red Cloud gave Cook a pipestone cannunpa( Lakota for pipe), which was used prior to negotiations of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. Two hide paintings were prepared for The Cook Collection exhibits by Lakota artists Dawn Little Sky and Martin Red Bear. The Running Water Winter Count hide painted by Dawn introduces visitors to the method that Lakota historians used to record events important to the people. Martin's hide painting depicts events remembered by Lakota warrior participants in the 1876 Battle of the Greasy Grass or Battle of the Little Bighorn. This is a recreation of the faded original hide painting prepared by Lakota artists, including Martin's grandfather, around 1898.

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