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    John Day Fossil Beds

    National Monument Oregon

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History & Culture

Image of the Cant family in a portrait.

The Cant Family were early sheep ranchers in the John Day Valley. Their house is now the monument's headquarters and cultural history museum.

Fossils may have been the reason that John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was established, but the human story goes back thousands of years and many people call this place home.

Finished in the year 2000, a comprehensive book commissioned by the National Park Service explores the regional history that intersects with the monument. Click the Rocks and Hard Places link below and navigate by chapter to read more on the amazing human stories of the John Day country.

Rocks and Hard Places
by Stephen Dow Beckham with Florence K. Lentz

Did You Know?

Image of the painted hills

The Painted Hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are made of heavily eroded volcanic ash layers.