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LEISEY SHELL PIT RUSKIN, FLORIDA |
HISTORY OF THE LEISEY
SHELL PIT DISCOVERY
see fossils from Leisey Shell Pit, further down on the page
In the winter of 1980-81, Frank Garcia and friends, Cecil Philmon, John Clark and
Don Ward talked with Eric Hunter (who was the manager of the Leisey Shell
Pit), about looking for some tricheacus sea cow fossil material. Frank was amazed
at the way the shell layers were laid down
in the Leisey Shell Pit. Click here to go
to FRANK GARCIA's Biography page.
During this first visit Frank found some
garfish scales and horse and llama teeth
in a yellow limerock layer. He was to return
often to this lower Pleistocene (1.5MYA)
layer. After a trip to Nebraska to collect
fossils, Frank yearned to get back to the
Leisey Shell Pit and see what else he could
find. Frank returned from Nebraska to Ruskin,
Florida, where he lives, late on a Sunday
night and spent a restless night thinking
about what he was seeing at the Leisey Shell
Pit. On Monday morning, and without unloading
his Nebraska fossils, Frank drove to Leisey
Shell Pit and went in to and talked with
Eric Hunter. Eric told him that just one
hour before the Drag Line Operator left to
go on a 2 week vacation, he had uncovered
a pocket of bones. At that Frank jumped in
his truck and drove to that pocket of bones.
When he arrived, the sky opened up and rain
poured down, washing away residue from the
bones and other Pleistocene fossil material.
Although the lightening struck the pit several
times, Frank was in awe as hundreds of Pleistocene
bones, teeth and other material became more
and more evident as the rain washed away
the sand and shell from the bones and other
fossil material.
Frank jumped down about 12 feet into the
pit excavated by the drag line, as the rain
poured down and the lightening crackled around.
Frank looked up and about 2/3rds of the way
up the excavated wall was a layer of Pleistocene
fossil anatomy unlike anything one could
imagine. Frank said he thought about pinching
himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming,
but the lightening reminded him this was
for real.
Frank had longed for years, for his place
in history, and he now realized he had finally
done it. He had discovered a wealth of Pleistocene
fossil remains, unlike any other in the World.
He wasted no time putting out the word to
friends and telling them of his discovery.
Shortly thereafter there was an organized
dig sponsored by the Tampa Bay Mineral and
Science Club with the help of the University
of Florida
Therefore, in 1983 this most unusual discovery
was made, as a result of Page Youngblood,
drag line operator at the Leisey Shell Pit
(a/k/a the Caloosa Shell Pit) uncovering
this Pleistocene site and Frank Garcia knowing
what to look for, finding the layer while
it was intact and realizing the great scientific
value of this discovery.
On January 4, 1984, there was a press conference
held at the Museum of Science and Industry
in Tampa, Florida. At that time Frank Garcia
told of his discovery to Newsweek, CNN, The Atlanta Constitution,
The Tamp Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times,
The New York Times, The Christian Science
Monitor, The Today Show and many others around the world. An important
scientific discovery had been made.
Over 175 volunteers had helped in the excavation,
with Rudi Johnson and many other helping
to coordinate the flow of volunteers as Frank
supervised the actual digging. The Leisey
Corporation donated money, labor, equipment
and even changed their mining course to allow
Frank and the others to collect the fossils.
What a wonderful story of cooperation between
land owner and rock hounds.
In 1986 Frank and his friend, Page Youngblood,
the dragline operator, added another discovery.
Page had uncovered a large section of Llama
bones on the north side of the Leisey Shell
Pit. Again, the Leisey Corporation allowed
Frank and the Museum of Natural Science of
Gainesville to come and work this new site.
When this portion of the dig was completed,
Frank and his crew had uncovered the largest
collection of llama bones ever discovered
anywhere in the World.
Just eight feet below what had been crops
of tomatoes and cauliflower in prior years,
lay one of the worlds great Paleontology
finds. Over one hundred and forty (140) different
species of animals had been found with twenty
(20) of them, being new to science.
Frank worked for the Smithsonian Institute
at one time and is a self-made Paleontologist,
without the usual degree, but with more than
the usual interest, tenacity, ability, and
interest in Paleontology, he has earned a
place in history as a Paleontologist.
NOTE: Here are some of the Lower Pleistocene (1.5MYA) fossil material from the Leisey Shell Pit in Ruskin, Hillsborough County, Florida. Those with an ** in front of the item were found by and are owned by Curator, T. W. "Terry" Proctor, J.D.; those with an * in front of the item are owned by the Curator, but were not found by him. Other items are from other collections and shown by permission of the owner. The following fossils are lower Pleistocene (1.5MYA) unless stated otherwise.