1884 Marsh and Felch Letters

Synopsis of Letters (1884)

1884 saw the very unfortunate death of Felch's youngest son, Webster, to "an injury causing peritonitis (7/15)." The loss was great, but Felch kept working at the quarry. Perhaps there was nothing else to be done but continue to work and move on. This letter is one of the lowest points in the story found in these letters.

This year also saw more flooding in the gulch by the Felch Quarry and Farm, slowing down work and the shipping of fossils back to New Haven, Connecticut (6/30/1884). Moreover, it was the first time Ceratosaurus nasicornis (now on display at the Smithsonian), excavated in 1883, was named and described by Marsh (3/19/1884). Had Marsh not urged Felch to go back over the dump piles, perhaps much would be lost and incomplete, or unknown to science today about Ceratosaurus and other Jurassic organisms (2/24 & 28/1884 - Marsh to Felch & 3/7/1884 - Felch to Marsh). It may be the first form in the naming of the genus, Ceratosaurus, {"Sk 4. which I shall call Ceratosaurus, (Horn lizard) is proving more and more important every hour, as we work on it."} that was ever written (3/19/1884).

Later in the year at the end of the summer Marsh made his perhaps second visit that is best constrained between the 9/8/1884 [Marsh to Felch] and 10/1/1884 [Marsh to Felch] letters. Marsh sent a letter explaining he would go to Como Bluff in Wyoming and then go to Cañon City by the 20th of September (9/8/1884).

Specimens excavated, partially, or otherwise in full:

  • Skeleton 5, NMNH 8423: Allosaurus fragilis partial skeleton described by Gilmore
  • Skeleton 6, NMNH 2673: Diplodocus skull described by Holland
  • Skeleton 7, NMNH 4734: Allosaurus fragilis skull and skeleton described by Gilmore, on display at the NMNH, SI
  • Skeleton 8, NMNH 4936: Stegosaurus armatus partial skull and skeleton described by Gilmore

Other letters of note

1/7/1884: This letter brought up the need to build a storage shed seen in photographs of the quarry. [Felch to Marsh]

2/26/1884: Felch had to measure the impressions left by fossilized neural spines to show Marsh how they looked. This would assist in later reconstruction at Yale. This letter details the care and precision of Felch's methods for excavating at the quarry. He very much honored his business affairs with Marsh. [Felch to Marsh]

3/12/1884: In this letter was the first referral by Felch on using the "water glass" method. This was just one piece in the evolution of the excavation and how the fossils were excavated, preserved, and shipped. [Felch to Marsh]

4/11/1884: Felch outlines how the spoils pile was worked to find fossils that had been mistakenly thrown over the side of the quarry and into the gultch.

6/8/1884: At the end of this letter is a sketch by Sarah Felch, Felch's daughter. There are many good illustrations—mostly by Felch himself—from this year.