"So I read about this place in Culpeper," Heidi's early morning dog-walking pal started, "and they have the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the country." What followed seemed like a tall tale, and when Heidi repeated the details to me, I couldn't believe that in the many decades I've lived in Virginia, I'd never heard of Luck Stone Quarry.
On an early April morning in 1989, a crew was preparing to blast a new layer of the 70-year-old quarry. As they pumped water over the floor, a quarryman noticed that as it evaporated, the little puddles left behind were actually footprints. The layer was made up of siltstone, which is essentially hardened mud, and further examination turned up hundreds of Triassic-era dino prints.
Despite the discovery's paleontological significance, the quarry remains private property to this day, although some of the prints are on display in the Smithsonian, the local history museum, and the mini-mall down the road. Once a year, however, the owners open the property to visitors, but only those who win a spot in a lottery.
"And I won!" Heidi's friend said. I never win anything, but I can bring a carload of people to see the dinosaur prints on Saturday!"
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