People from all over the world come to Utah to visit a quarry which contains one of the world's richest deposit of fossils.
U-dig, a 40-acre quarry filled with fossils, is located about 50 miles west of Delta. The quarry contains trilobite fossils which are a form of invertebrate marine life from more than 550-million years ago. These fossils are found fairly easy due to their near perfect preservation in the limestone shale rock.
The Crapo family, owners of U-Dig, have collected trilobites in the area for generations. Cole Crapo has been working there since he was a kid.
'It was kind of like a treasure hunt for me because I was able to come out here, find trilobites, and then sell them and make money, so it was always like a full-time job,” said Cole Crapo.
Jared Crapo said his dad started the business 23 years ago while at BYU.
“When my dad was in the business program at BYU, one of his major projects was to create a business, so he created U-Dig fossils. U-dig fossils is a place where people can come and dig their own trilobites and take them home. It's a very unique experience and a very memorable experience for everyone,” said Jared Crapo.
Most people find about 10-20 trilobites during their visits.
BYU student groups come to the quarry every year. The opportunity to find your own fossils has given BYU Student, Nathan Bledsoe, a hands-on experience which he could not get in a classroom setting.
'I think a lot more people should take advantage of this opportunity because it is so close to us here in Utah, and with all the different universities nearby, it's definitely an opportunity to further our education and get to some real life experience of the things that we learn in school,” said Bledsoe.
At U-Dig, people not only have the opportunity to create a memorable experience, but take their experience home with them.