In Fannin County, the regionally renowned Ladonia Fossil Park will be closed this summer. The park is in a transitional phase, as a result of the construction of Lake Ralph Hall.
The park along the North Sulphur River is currently in a temporary location off of FM 2990. It’s been there for a little less than four years. This location will close on March 3.
The Upper Trinity Regional Water District says the park will re-open in a new, permanent location this fall. The water district says the new park should be operating by mid-October.
The new fossil park will be located to the east, downstream from the reservoir, at the intersection of FM 904 and the North Sulphur River. That’s not far from Pecan Gap, in far southeastern Fannin County. The water district says the new park will have a parking lot, easy access to the riverbed, and other amenities.
Both the fossil park and the new reservoir have their origins in the channeling of the North Sulphur back in the late 1920s. The channeled river eroded its banks quickly. The erosion exposed fossils in the river valley. The condition of the riparian areas along that stretch of the North Sulphur was also part of the case made for the construction of Lake Ralph Hall. The new reservoir is expected to be completed in 2026.
