Sheep
Rock, towering 1,100 feet above the John Day River,
gives its name to this unit of the monument. The green
and pink layers of Sheep Rock represent a period of
time approximately 28 to 25 million years ago, when
this region hosted an ecosystem dominated by hardwood
deciduous forests and inhabited by animals such as
three-toed horses, rhinos, saber-toothed nimravids
(cat-like carnivores), oreodonts, and primates.
Located
at the Sheep Rock Unit are several hiking trails and
wayside exhibits, two picnic areas, and two interpretive
facilities: the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, and
the Cant Ranch Historical Museum. The Paleontology Center
features exhibits, interpretive programs, and audiovisual
presentations on fossils, geology, and the processes
of paleontology. The Cant Ranch Museum, located one-quarter
mile away, serves as the monument headquarters and contains
indoor and outdoor exhibits relating the history of
human settlement on the ranch and regional area.
|
|
|
|
