[Rockhounds] Mazon Creek Fossil

[John Siebel]

Wow this takes me back. When I was a kid in northern Illinois I traded with 
a friend for a beautiful fern nodule from Mazon Creek. I don't know what 
ever happened to it but man I loved that fossil. We would often drive south 
to Peoria to visit my sister, and whenever we reached the Coal City sign I 
would beg my father to pull off so I could satisfy my rockhound jones. But, 
alas, Dad was always in a big hurry.

So I decided to make my own faux fossils with local ferns pressed into clay. 
I even tried to build a wood-fired kiln to fire them - with rather limited 
success. Ah well, I could always go down to the beach to search for crinoid 
fragments in the sand.

Thanks to all who answered - John