A story in Thursday’s Washington Post featured some interesting parallels that only serve to bolster the argument for another sort of historic preservation as a key feature of a “Propst Park of the Future.”
The story details the discovery of a 34-million year old whale fossil by an Alabama School for Math & Science and her teacher at the teen’s family property in southwest Alabama.
Although the discovery of the ancient whale fossil by 16-year-old Lindsey Stallworth was not part of a school project, she caught the attention of her science teacher Drew Gentry when she showed him a collection of fossils she had found on her parents property in Monroe County, Alabama. Together they discovered the whales after only a few hours of searching.
As noted in a column last spring and in other pieces, historian Rufus Ward noted that the banks of the Luxapalila River – which borders the park on the east – contain a wide array of fossils dating even further back – 83 million years in some cases – than the recent Alabama find. Various dinosaurs, a pair of raptor teeth, along with a number of prehistoric fish, including shark and saber-toothed fish, have been among the found fossils.
The Washington Post story observed that some professional paleontologists go their entire careers without a discovery such as the one the 16-year-old Alabama found literally in her backyard. That’s likely true for many of the fossils discovered along the banks of “The Lux.”
During the discussions on how to make Propst Park more appealing to more residents, the idea of additional recreation options along the river has been mentioned.
Columbus has long been known for its historic preservation of buildings, but the area’s history obviously goes back eons. The wealth of fossils along The Lux near Propst Park makes the area an ideal venue to celebrate and explore the abundance of natural history we are blessed with.
As Ward noted in his column, the idea of organizing a natural history center at the Propst Park portion of The Lux is something that has been discussed as far back as 2016.
If a 34-million year old shark is worthy of a story in the Washington Post, the discoveries already made at The Lux – and those that may follow – are big news, too.
It’s an asset that has, like the fossils themselves, been too long buried.
We encourage our city leaders to carefully consider ways to use this wealth of natural history as yet another educational and recreational attraction for the city.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion