The Hagerman Horse Quarry

The Hagerman Horse Quarry is a paleontological site containing the largest concentration of Hagerman horse (Equus simplicidens) fossils yet found. The quarry is within Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, located west of Hagerman, Idaho, USA, at the geographic division of the Snake River Plain. The Hagerman Horse Quarry is an integral part of the monument and is located on the northern flank of Fossil Gulch in the northern portion of the monument.

The Hagerman Horse Quarry resides near the top of the hillside of Smithsonian Hill. The hill was named from the early Smithsonian excavations of the Hagerman horse. The Hagerman horse is the first fossil representation of the genus Equus in North America.

Historically, the Hagerman Horse Quarry was divided into three informal subquarries, the red, the green and white quarry sandstones. Fossils are found throughout the monument; however the Horse Quarry continues to be the focus of paleontological research.

The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument visitor center is administered by the National Park Service. There is a skeleton reconstruction of a Hagerman horse at the visitor center in Hagerman, Idaho. The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument reopened the Hagerman Horse Quarry during the summer of 1997. The Hagerman Horse Quarry is closed to visitors.

The Hagerman Horse Quarry has experienced a diverse collection history. Elmer Cook, a local rancher and resident of the area, first discovered fossil horse remains in the late 1920s. He reported the find to Dr. Harold T. Stearns of the United States Geological Survey, who in turn brought it to the attention of Dr. James W. Gidley of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution field crew excavated from all three quarry beds during the years 1929-1931 and 1934 (Richmond and others, 2002).

The University of Utah, under the direction of Mr. Golden York, acquired fossils from the quarry in 1953. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County managed their excavation during the summer of 1966. The Idaho Museum of Natural History collected material during the fall of 1966 and early summer of 1967. The following year, the Pacific Union College in Angwin, California conducted a small excavation. An unknown quantity of fossil material was removed prior to the establishment of the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in 1988 (Richmond and others, 2002).

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