The Big Stump

The Big Stump is a massive petrified redwood stump, one of the largest fossils in the park and the remnant of a tree that may have stood more than 230 feet tall and been 500 to 1,000 years old when a lahar buried its base. The lahar deposit remains visible directly behind the stump. In the late 1800s, local residents excavated the stump, and it became a tourist attraction as the Florissant area grew popular for its petrified wood and shale fossils. Before the area was protected, an unsuccessful effort was made to saw the stump into pieces for transport to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, leaving rusty broken saw blades embedded in its top. Early accounts described the valley as littered with petrified wood, but nearly 100 years of exploitation, constant collecting, and destruction caused unmeasurable damage and loss of rare scientific evidence. Some remaining stumps are now sheltered from weathering, fossil collecting is strictly prohibited, and conservation efforts continue as the National Park Service works to stabilize and preserve them.

Colorado · United States