Over 65 Million Years Old

A small fossilized urchin, found on a Kerrville hillside, years ago

Walking up a quiet Kerrville hillside one Sunday a few years ago, I bent down and picked up a tiny fossilized sea urchin. It was no museum showpiece—just a coin-sized Phymosoma texanum, etched with radiating ridges like a miniature sunburst. Holding it, I felt its age: somewhere between 66 and 145 million years old, an ancient echo of another world.

That moment—rainclouds gathering and that shard of deep time in my hand—reminds me why I love wandering around these limestone slopes. Kerr County sits on the Edwards Plateau, where Cretaceous-layered shale and limestone hide marine fossils: snails, bivalves, even relics of dinosaurs and small sea creatures.

As a boy, I collected “Texas Hearts” (Cucullaea molds) and “stone ears” (various oyster and clam fossils). My son took it further—spying corkscrew-shaped Tylostomatidae in every size, and tightly-wound Turritella.

“Holding that spiral shell, I felt the sea under my feet.”

There are even spots scattered around Kerr County with dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous era. And yes, I’ve spent many afternoons chasing fossil clues—rain clouds on the horizon, wind hinting at ancient tides.

So what’s my advice if you go fossil hunting around here?

• Don't trespass. Trespassing isn’t worth it—there are plenty of accessible, fossil-rich hillsides.
• Hit slopes, not summits. Erosion works in your favor, exposing layers in cuts and eroding hillsides.
• Riverbeds and the banks of rivers are good hunting sites. Gravel and rocks often host amazing fossils.
• Look for limestone or shale with shell-like textures. Those layers are fossil hot spots.
• Respect what you find. Remove small, loose pieces—but leave larger formations behind, where they belong.

“It’s humbling, holding something older than imagination.”

That Sunday’s little urchin may not headline a museum, but it's a touchstone. It's evidence that beneath our feet lies a hidden archive: a sea world frozen in rock, waiting to be rediscovered.

So next time you’re out wandering among our Hill Country ridges, keep an eye out. Maybe lift a piece of limestone or shale—and let it surprise you. Because that tiny fossil in your pocket? It’s older than Kerrville itself, and likely older than most of us can truly imagine.

Until next time—and happy, responsible hunting.

This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead June 26, 2025.