Fossil Cycad National Monument

The site contained hundreds of fossils of the cycad-like bennettitalean plant Cycadeoidea, one of the world's greatest concentrations.

[4] In 1920, Yale paleobotanist George Reber Wieland obtained the fossil cycad-rich land under the Homestead Act "in order that the cycads might not fall into unworthy hands".

[8] Even before formal approval of the new national monument, all of the visible fossils had been removed, many by Yale University paleontologist George Wieland, due to the fact that no administrator for supervising the area had been assigned.

There were plans to help restore the area to its natural beauty, but this did not happen, and on September 1, 1957, Fossil Cycad National Monument was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management.

[14][15] While the monument is no more, many of the cycads excavated from that area are still in existence and are on display at various scientific institutions such as Yale University, the Smithsonian, and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

[17][18] The downfall of Fossil Cycad National Monument also serves as a reminder for better park management and for assurance that past mistakes are not repeated.