The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is beginning a long term oral history project. The project will use nearly $800.00 of professional audio recording equipment purchased by the Friends of the Florissant Fossils Beds.

The goal of this project is to record the stories related to the different aspects of the Monument’s history, which may include Native American history, settlers and the Hornbek Homestead, the commercial fossil and tourist operations, farming and ranching, the founding of the Monument, and the first few decades of the Monument’s history.

The new equipment allows the Monument to record conversations in person or over the phone so people who live far from the Monument may be interviewed. The stories will be recorded, transcribed, and stored. They will be available to researchers and portions of them may be used on the Monument’s website or in exhibits. The Monument staff would like to thank the Friends for their support in helping us preserve the stories and history of this amazing national park area.

Jack Williams, the second superintendent of the Monument, will be the first person to be interviewed. The Monument is compiling a list of additional people involved in the park’s history to interview. If you are one of these people or know someone who should be interviewed, please contact Jeff Wolin or Shawn Frizzell at the Monument at 719-748-3253 or flfo_information@nps.gov.

-Jeff Wolin, Lead Interpretive Ranger
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Photo Credit: Melissa Barton

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