"When the mountains are overthrown and the seas uplifted,
the universe at Florissant flings itself against a gnat and preserves it."

What was a small, insignificant lake in the late Eocene became a premier paleontological preserve, thanks to eruptions of a nearby volcano. Florisssant Fossils Beds National Monument, a U.S. National Park Service facility, protects the lacustrine sedimentary deposits of 32 sq. km Lake Florissant, which have yielded over 1000 species of fossil insects, ferns, leaves, fish, mollusks, birds, early mammals and trees. The monument is open to the public and has hiking trails, a visitor's center with interpretive displays and programs, and an 1870's pioneer homestead.