I'm just going to polish the face that I took pictures of and leave it as a specimen.
I've been there a few times and did well just surface collecting. I'd like to go back
and do some digging.
Supposedly palm isn't known from this location.
Here's a description from the "Ore Bin" June 1961.
"Bear Creek and Hampton Butte localities:
A number of authors (Mote, 1939; Bowman, 1940; Lowry, 1940; and others) have suggested division of
the Clarno formation in southern Crook County into a lower and upper member on lithologic grounds. A
younger age for an upper division seems also to be justified on the basis of plant fossil differences. Two
fossil leaf localities near the junction of the road in the upper Bear Creek Valley (secs. 9 and 17, T. 18 S.,
R. 17 E.) me mentioned by Lowry (1940). A few specimens from this locality were present in collections at
Oregon State College. Although the collection is meager and preservation is only fair, the following could
be identified: Thuites sp. Knowlton, Pinus knowltoni, Cercidiphyllum crenatum, Quercus clarnensis,
Carpinus grand is, Ostrya oregoniana, Pla~ sp., Alnus (7) sp., and Pteris sp. Many of these occur in the
Bridge Creek flora (John Day formation) (Chaney 1927, 1952) and it is possible that these localities might
be more properly referred to the John Day because of this.
A few miles to the southeast may be found extensive deposits of fossil wood. These have a composition
which is closely related to that of the previously mentioned leaf locality, but which also contains a few
subtropical species not present in the John Day. The best collecting appears to be in the Hampton Butte
area in sec. 36, T. 19 S., R. 19 E., 12 miles north of the Bend-Burns highway. The silicified wood in this
area is frequently colored in green or carnelian shades and therefore is highly prized by hobbyists.
Approximately three-fourths of the specimens collected by the author in this area were coniferous, half of these
being a species of pine similar to that occurring in the John Day formation, but definitely not identical.
'Cypress and Taxodium (bald cypress) or Sequoia (redwood) also appeared to be present. Of the angiosperms,
more than half were a Quercus of the Iive-oak type. Eleven other genera were distinguished, including
Cinnamomum, Magnolia, Ocotea, and Platanus.
Palm, tree ferns, Juglans, and most other Clarno typelocality genera were absent.
Specimens of fossil wood were also collected at Lowry's (1940) petrified wood locality (SW corner sec.
8, T. 19 S.,R. 18 E.). This locality-yielded only conifers (Pinus and Taxodium or Sequoia) and sycamore
(Platanus), but there is little question about its contemporaneity with the Hampton Butte locality because of
the distinctive coloring of the specimens. Bowman (1940) reported the presence of three fossil leaf horizons
in the valley of the south fork of Camp Creek (T. 19 S., R. 21 E.), but preservation was poor and only
Platanus and Equisetum could be identified. All of the wood studied was either in situ or traceable to its
original source."
