Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is one of the world's foremost dinosaur fossil sources. More than 30 complete skeletons, 12,000 individual bones and several dinosaur eggs have come from this prolific fossil bed.

Today, at the Visitor Center, you can see a complete Allosaur skeletal reconstruction and a Stegosaur wall mount. At the quarry, you view the work in progress in a covered building, where you can see actual bones in place. Recognized worldwide as the primary source of flesh-eating Allosaur skeletons, the quarry was designated a national Natural Landmark in 1966.

Recent History

University of Utah scientists began studies in 1929. Princeton University did extensive work, financed by Malcomb Lloyd, in 1939-41 to obtain a museum exhibit. Because of the proximity to Cleveland, Utah, it became known as the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry.

In 1960, the University of Utah commenced a 5-year project with several cooperating schools and museums. Dr. William Lee Stokes was in charge of this ambitious project with assistance from James H. Madson, Jr. More recently, scientists from Brigham Young University and the College of Eastern Utah have excavated at the quarry.

Over the years, bones have been taken from the quarry representing at least 70 different animals and 14 species. Cast and original skeletons assembles from these bones are on display in over 60 museums world-wide., including the College of Eastern Utah's Prehistoric Museum in Price.

Natural History

About 147 million years ago this area was a shallow freshwater lake with a muddy bottom. Plant-eating dinosaurs and the meat-eaters who preyed upon them occasionally became trapped in the mud. As the years passed, the skeletons of these animals accumulated until the site became a complex mix of bones.

After the lake bottom dried up it was covered with volcanic ash; and rivers and shallow seas deposited thick layers of sand and mud on top. Meanwhile, the bones fossilized. Millions of years later water and wind eroded the layers to produce the topography seed today.

The bones are now close enough to the surface to be recovered by scientific excavations. Two-thirds of the bones uncovered are from Allosaurus, the largest carnivore of the Jurassic period. Also present are plant-eating Stegosaurus, Camarasaurus, and Camptosaurus. In the mid 1970s, James H. Madsen Jr. described two previously unknown dinosaurs form bones discovered here. These small carnivores are known as Stokesosaurus clevelandi and Marshosaurus bicentesimus.

Windows to the Past

Please remember, fossilized bones of dinosaurs and other vertebrate animals contain valuable information from the past. When fossils are removed or damaged in any way, much of what they can tell us is lost forever.

We have a responsibility to help preserve historically significant sites. Dinosaur bones are a rare and nonrenewable resource. Anyone discovering these fossils should report their find to the nearest BLM office or to the Utah Division of State History.

Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1966 and is protected under the Historic Sites Act of 1935. Please do not collect fossils, rocks, plants, or animals.

Location

The quarry is located 30 miles south of Price, Utah at the end of a graded road. Look for the "dinosaur" signs at road intersections. Room-size boulders scattered about the area create a unique setting for the exhibit buildings, picnic facilities, and the self-guided Rock Walk Nature Trail. The quarry is open weekends (weather permitting) from Easter until Memorial day and daily from Memorial day through Labor Day weekend. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information contact:

 Bureau of Land Management
Price Office
125 South 600 West
P.O. Box 7004
Price, Utah 84501
(435) 636-3600

For more information visit the Utah Bureau of Land Management website