Snowmass history: Finding fossils at Cozy Point

In 1940, a few years after the new highway was surveyed at the intersection of Brush Creek and Colorado Highway 82, the local paper reported, “County Road Men Find Fossils at Cozy Point. Henry Sievers and George Reichert, county road workers report they have found numerous fossils in the shale banks at Cozy Point, near the Weise ranch and they have brought a few specimen to town to exhibit. Fossil remains were first discovered at that place three years ago by surveyors, who were at that time surveying the new highway. The county men have recently uncovered more of the interesting specimen….. All kinds of fish, birds, snakes and off looking sea creatures that were on earth hundreds of years ago could be seen in the rocks and shale, but it is impossible to remove them without breakage. This vicinity was probably under water at one time and the sea creatures were buried in the shale, possibly by volcanic eruption…” speculated the papers. In 1967, it was reported that “a large fossil of a prehistoric fish – measuring 13 feet from head to tail – was found in the Snowmass area by Christie, Jody and Rick Jurick, children of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jurick.”