There's Tracks In Them Thar' Rocks

To the visitor, it doesn't look much like an archaeological dig taking place on the banks of the Paluxy River in Texas. Pieces of heavy equipment such as backhoes and bulldozers are flipping over large slabs of limestone to uncover the underlying strata. Strangely, the conventional practice of painstaking excavation and kid glove treatment does not appear to be of overriding concern.

The area is rich in fossilized dinosaur tracks, but the real prizes which are being sought are human footprints in the same strata as the dinosaurs', thus proving their contemporaneity. Although it is scientifically well-established that such conditions never existed, excavators (who claim to have scientific credentials) state that the have uncovered "giant" human footprints alongside those of the dinosaurs'. This "research" is being supported by donations.

The Paluxy River area gained a certain amount of fame during the depression years when the carving of footprints for sale to collectors was practiced by the locals as a source of income. Now, even cautious proponents of the idea that man and dinosaur existed simultaneously have stated on examination of some specimens that these had been carved. Microscopic examination of these "human footprints" showed that tiny laminae in the rocks had been cut off at the surface, rather than being compressed downward beneath the tracks.

But the Paluxy legend has grown and flourished. Excavators at the site now lead tours and speak to the press giving the impression that they are legitimate scientists, but true professionals have not been invited to participate.

One geologist who has visited the site is Steven Schafersman of the Texas Council for Science Education. Schafersman has observed that almost every rounded elongate depression at the site is identified as a "man track." But when he asked to see the actual giant, five-toed, well-preserved human footprints which the excavators claim to have seen, he was told that they couldn't remember where the footprints were, or that they had been eroded away.

The Mesozoic Era, which ended about 65 million years ago, is commonly known as the Age of Reptiles. For reasons as yet unknown, the large reptiles known as dinosaurs died out during the Mesozoic, and man did not make his appearance until only a couple of million years ago.

Attempting to interpret the earth's history is one of the most intriguing and rewarding of scientific endeavors. While many details will remain forever shrouded in the past, the entire legitimate scientific community is in accord over the major facts. Hard evidence from many sources, tempered by close internal scrutiny and peer evaluation, prove that it is impossible that man and dinosaur could ever have existed together. But I can't imagine that any scientist wouldn't like to have a couple of genuine Paluxy "footprints" to use as bookends, and as a topic for stimulating conversation.