The Cambridge–Geological Survey of Canada Excavation of the Walcott Quarry in 1967  

In 1966, a preliminary opening of the Walcott quarry was undertaken by the Geological Survey of Canada, organized by Jim Aitken and led by Harry B. Whittington.  The following year, during a month’s work, more than 350 cubic metres of rock was removed with the help of limited blasting aided by a petrol driven rock drill.  Blocks were then split with chisels and hammers and fossils collected, marked as to their position in the quarry, wrapped, and carried down to the camp at the end of each day.  Specimens were then trimmed using a rock saw and packed in wooden boxes made on site.  The group consisted of seventeen in all: three geologists with wives, four children, a cook, a blaster, four student assistants and the author.  All lived and ate well, and food was delivered by pack horse every Friday.  Water was a problem, as the party relied on melting snow, which did not last long in the record warm July–August weather of that year.  The talk will include photographs of life in camp, and the planning which led to the description of the collected fossils.