A Town Called Fossil
The town of Fossil -- its abandoned buildings visible
accross the valley -- was founded in 1881 beside the
newly laid track of the Oregon Shortline Railroad.
At first, coal deposits made Fossil ideal as a station to
service the trains. In 1884, settlers began to move in.
In 1885, oil was discovered. A store, a saloon, a post
office, and a restaurant gave Fossil the air of a boom
town. And in 1897 fossil collectors began to arrive.
Fossil thrived for a few decades. By the 1930s the
boom was clearly over. The school closed. The post
office moved to Kemmerer.
Today, the old site abandoned, the town of Fossil
is a fossil town.
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