Petrified Wood–Evidence of the Past

Written by Estelle Moore in 1976

Trees as large as five feet in diameter once grew in the hills surrounding Mason Valley, for petrified logs of this size have been found in several areas. The forests that contained them must have been something to see! Tons and tons of petrified wood have been taken out of the Wilson Canyon petrified forest, so that now it is difficult to find even small pieces of the material there. Evidently, rock and mineral dealers brought heavy equipment and trucks into the area to take away some of the giant pieces which old-timers say used to lie all over the hills.

The forests, at least the one in the Wilson Canyon area (and particularly in Mickey Wash) supported some very large prehistoric animals. Tusks and bones and teeth of the giant mastodon have been found there, as well as petrified remains of prehistoric camels, horses, rhinos and bears. Paleontologists from the University of California did much digging in the area a number of years ago and came up with many relics to take back with them to study. Not long ago some rock hunters found a gigantic jawbone and even now anyone with a sharp eye can find pieces of bones and teeth when they hunt on the eroded hillsides in that vicinity.