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Learn about the Fossils of St. Clement's and El Paso History

Photograph by Art Moreno, Jr.

Photograph by Art Moreno, Jr.

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This quarry along Murchison Drive is probably where the St. Clement dolostone originated.

This quarry along Murchison Drive is probably where the St. Clement dolostone originated.

See the largest snail ever to exist, shrimp burrows, corals and more not on the mountainside but on the side of a church building. Believe it or not, the Church of St. Clement is covered with fossils. The Upham dolostone that was used in the construction of the church building is a sedimentary rock deposited across North America 450 million years ago! Dr. Eric Kappus of Southwest University will be your guide.

Then go inside the church and learn more about its contributions to El Paso history. Focus on the stained glass windows of the McKee Chapel on the southside of the building which depict southwest ecclesiastical history. The Rev. Bill Cobb, Rector of the Church of St. Clement, will conduct this part of the tour.

Meet on the SE corner of Campbell and Montana (MAP) at 9 AM and get your camera ready to record some of the fossils embedded in the church stoneware and the beauty of the church interior.

Update on Parking: the Kelly Memorial Food Bank will be serving food on Saturday so there may not be parking directly across Montana from the Church. There is parking on the church side (southside) of Montana between the church and the church school. There is also parking on the other side of the church on Yandell.