Seven miles away from Iowa City lies the Devonian Fossil Gorge, an open area with thousands of fossils for hikers to touch and investigate.

The cause of the gorge and its safety remains a question onlookers wonder.

A 1993 flood occurred in the area revealed the gorge.

“In ’93 we had almost five feet of water discharge through the spillway,” said operations manager Dee Goldman. “Most of the Devonian bed is actually hidden treasure.”

Today, thousands of fossils lay near the Iowa River. School groups tour the gorge as an educational location.

“When I have school groups down there, one of the (emphases) I make is everything that is down here, stays down here,” said park ranger Terry Escher. “So that the next group of kids that come out and find the same thing.”

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