The dinosaurs that walked along the algae covered mud flats at the Museum site left deep footprints. These tracks were filled in and covered by sediments from the mineral rich water seeping into the coastal mud. Subsequent layers of limestone, along with heat and pressure of the overburden gradually turned the footprints into stone.
During this range of time, this area of Texas, as well as much of America, was covered by a shallow inland sea that extended from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.
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Nature made the climate warmer than what we experience today and sea level was 330 to 820 feet higher than what we see in our current time.
Many of the fossils at the Museum are of the marine life that lived in the area during the Cretaceous period. The dinosaur footprints at the museum, however, indicate that this area was potentially beach front property with shallow waters, marine life, algae, bivalves, and gastropods along with land based dinosaurs that were walking through the area.
At the end of the Cretaceous period around 65 million years ago, it has been estimated that half of all the worlds’ existing species went extinct, including the dinosaurs. Some scientists theorize a large meteorite impact near the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico was responsible for the extinctions.
The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country offers exhibits of
- Dinosaur tracks
- Early Comal County farm equipment
- The construction of the Canyon Lake Dam details and exhibit
- The Comal County Pioneer Room
- Early Communications exhibits
- Local Native American exhibits
The Museum is open every day except Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. A small fee is required to visit the Museum. Stopping by the check-in office is recommended in order to take the complete facility tour.
Summer Hours: June 1 - August 15 - Daily 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Winter Hours: August 16 - May 31 - Daily 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
In order to qualify for a find, email the CO with your answers to the following questions so accuracy can be determined... THEN claim the find.
- During what geologic time period were the locally observed dinosaur tracks made? - Pick one- Jurassic, Permian, Cretaceous, Tertiary.
- How many fossilized “Snail Trails” are visible at the Heritage Museum? - Pick one- 1, 3, 5, 12.
- The dinosaur footprints found at the Museum are made by Herbivores, Carnivores, Insectivores, Omnivores. Pick two.
- The footprints observed at the Museum are impressed in - Pick one - Sandstone, Limestone, Granite, Shale.
- The Cretaceous extinction is thought by some to be caused by – Pick one - Anthropogenic Global Warming, Meteorite Impact, Volcanic Activity, Fossil Fuel Consumption.
- How many hours a day did the crews work to build the Canyon Lake Dam in 6 years of construction? - Pick one - 8, 12, 16, 24.
- Congrats to Team Troglodyte for the highly esteemed honor of being FTF !