NSR Looking West 8390
by Cheryl McClure
Title
NSR Looking West 8390
Artist
Cheryl McClure
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
As the sun blazes in the afternoon, it looks like it was a humid day in September when I took this picture. This is the view of the North Sulphur River in September, 2018 facing west from the 2990 bridge. When there are good rain events, this river can fill up practically in a heartbeat! There have been stories where people almost got caught in the river because the water was flowing in from upstream and rising rapidly. You really need to be prepared to climb out if that happens and that means being close to a rope or entrance that you can get out of.
I always tell people to check the weather before they go fossil hunting in the river!
Ever changing because of erosion, the river has become wide and deep. In the 1920s this meandering creek was straightened out to increase flow and decrease the boggy bottoms of the time. It was only about 30 ft wide and 10 ft deep; today 300 ft wide and 70 ft deep. As time went on, the raging water from rainfall churned up the earth and exposed fossils year after year making this a prime location for fossil hunters. Lots of mosasaur, ammonites, turtle, mastadon, mammoth, shark, and many sea creature material from the cretaceous period have been discovered over time.
In the near future this beautiful riverscape will be changed forever when Lake Ralph Hall becomes a reality after the river is dammed up, making this a time sensitive picture and location. We will enjoy fossil and arrowhead hunts and nature hikes there for as long as possible till the landscape changes once again. Then we will find other ways to continue to enjoy the area.
Uploaded
August 18th, 2022
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