Editing Somervell County, Texas (section)

===Dinosaurs===

The tragic Paluxy River flood in 1908 uncovered three-toed prints from the [[Cretaceous]] period, possibly ''[[Acrocanthosaurus]]'', and were discovered by high school student George Adams in the limestone river bed. The teenager relayed the discovery to his principal, Robert McDonald.<ref>{{cite web | title=Speaking of Texas, Glen Rose's Dinosaur Highway  |publisher=Texas Highways | url=http://texashighways.com/history/item/4529-speaking-of-texas-glen-rose-s-dinosaur-highway | author=Jasinski, Laurie E | access-date=January 15, 2015}}Texas Highways</ref> Adams later ended up selling self-manufactured fake "giant man tracks"<ref>{{cite web |title=Strange Science, Forgeries and Frauds | publisher=Michon Scott | url=http://www.strangescience.net/stfor2.htm | author=Michon Scott | access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref> to tourists sometime during the 1930s, sparking a debate about whether humans existed alongside dinosaurs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Human and Dinosaur Footprints | publisher=Creation vs. Evolution Resources | url=http://www.creation-vs-evolution.us/visual-evolution/human-footprints/ | access-date=April 28, 2010}} Visual Evolution. Keep it real</ref> In 1934, resident Charlie Moss discovered footprints of four-toed [[Sauropoda|sauropods]]. Resident Jim Ryals dug out the actual dinosaur prints and sold them to tourists. Paleontologist Roland T. Bird of the [[American Museum of Natural History]] in New York City spotted the Adams "giant man tracks" in a tourist shop in [[Gallup, New Mexico]], and, while recognizing them as fakes, was still intrigued enough to travel to Somervell County to see the Glen Rose area for himself. Bird's visit resulted in a 2-year WPA project to uncover the dinosaur prints. The American Museum of Natural History, the [[University of Texas at Austin]], the [[Smithsonian Institution]], and several local museums retain samples of what are said to be the best-preserved tracks in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title=A Brief History of Dinosaur Tracks in Glen Rose, Texas |publisher=Kuban, Glen J. | url=http://paleo.cc/paluxy/glenrose.htm | author=Glen J. Kuban | access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref>

The land along the Paluxy River for [[Dinosaur Valley State Park]] was purchased by the State of Texas in 1968, and the park opened to the public in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dinosaur Valley State Park | publisher=Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_pl_019.phtml | access-date=April 28, 2010}} TPWD</ref>