Last updated: June 14, 2024
Fossils, American Indian Heritage, and Ranching...
In the early 1900s, paleontologists unearthed the Age of Mammals when they found full skeletons of extinct Miocene mammals in the hills of Nebraska -- species previously only known through fragments. At the same time, an age of friendship began between rancher James Cook and Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota. These two unprecedented events are preserved and protected here... at Agate Fossil Beds.
Top 10 Tips for Visiting Agate
"Plan like a park ranger" for your visit to Western Nebraska with these top 10 tips from our rangers.
Explore the Miocene
Agate is the world's leading source of full-skeleton specimens of Miocene mammals.
Preserving Lakota Heritage
The Cook Collection of Lakota artifacts will provide important context to any road trip through the lands of the Plains Indians.
Ranching on the Sea of Grass
Paleontologists and American Indians including Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota, American Horse came here to the Niobrara.