Hemphill and neighboring Roberts counties have been inhabited for at least thirteen million years. Shortly after Charles Darwin published his revolutionary theory about how species came to be, the discovery of dinosaurs and subsequent fossil discoveries in Texas led to the creation of a whole new branch of science: paleontology. The Texas Panhandle has yielded up clues to the origin of species that have had worldwide importance, and the scientific names given to epochs such as Hemphillian and Clarendonian attest to the Texas origins of paleontology.

Fossil beds in Hemphill and Roberts are about thirteen million years old. The discovery of these beds by geologists of Rio Bravo Oil Company in 1928 on the C.C. Coffee Ranch brought specialists from major institutions to the area. The fossil bones buried here included (among others) those of a prehistoric camel, a kind of antelope, horse, and wild pig. Further studies led scientists in 1941 to adopt "Hemphillian" as the name for the geologic age represented by these fossils. The River Valley Pioneer Museum, as well as other museums in the region, have a number of fascinating fossils from these ancient days.

River Valley Pioneer Museum
rvmuseum@cebridge.net
PO Box 1201
118 N. 2nd
Canadian, TX 79014
(806) 323-6548

Hours of operation:
Tuesday - Friday 9am - 12 noon, 1pm - 4pm
Saturdays - 1pm - 3pm