A Discovery in the Sand

After the madness of March begins, anything can happen. The weather certainly rules our lives today as much as in yesteryears, and as winter marches on, everyone over the seasons becomes restless with cold dreary days and the bitter north wind that seems relentless in an effort to downtrodden the spirit. However, some spirits cannot be downtrodden, and some receive a spark of inspiration that others cannot imagine.

When visitors and adventure seekers arrive on the sandy shores of Marco and the vast archipelago that surrounds our distant islands, daily walks on the beaches can captivate the curious. Secrets of the deep are waiting in the bounty of every seashell brought up by the tide, but even the most stoic of seaside collectors can find inspiration from a tale of long ago…and a land far away.

In the distant year of 1799, a baby was born near the southwest coast of England. The baby became a member of the local church when she became Mary Anning after her christening. When Mary was still a baby, her parents became troubled. The infant was slow to respond and did not seem as bright or active as others her age. In fact, many mothers and family members began to show concern for the child who would not attempt to smile, speak, or walk. 

One day, baby Mary was in the arms of a family friend and was on the way with two other women to visit a stable of horses. During the walk to the sea and the stable, threatening clouds began to gather and move onshore. After the weather became heavy with oppressive moisture, a tremor shook the earth and lightning struck the three women who were walking with the baby.

After the lightning strike, the stable hands ran to investigate the ground that was still smoking but found the three women dead and baby Mary not breathing. Mary was then put on horseback in the arms of a stable hand and rushed to where her mother promptly began bathing her with cold water. After the shock of the cold, Mary began to cough and breathe. Two weeks after the lightning strike, Mary began to toddle, talk, and laugh at almost everything.

When Mary was twelve years old, she was adventurous and ambitious. Every day, she took her dog Tray on beach walks close to her home. Her southern English village and the nearby town were famous for tourists coming to the sea, and all along, the thoroughfares, curio and novelty shops were entertainment for the guests from a neighboring hotel. 

Mary knew the curio shop owners well. She was scouring daily the rugged and windswept beaches for odd seashells and strange fossils she would sell to the novelty shop merchants. Mary was never lazy and was often up and searching the sand with a lantern before the sun began rising over the cliffs.

One morning, after an exciting night of thunder, lightning, and wind that shook the eaves of her house, Mary was out with her lantern and her dog while her older brother was still asleep.

At once, and even in the lantern light, Mary knew the beach and shore had been subject to a violent night of heavy seas and falling cliffs that had tumbled into the big waves that were still breaking.

As Mary began climbing over the debris next to the churning water, she understood that everyone would soon be out to discover what the ocean had washed up and thrown upon the shore. After crossing between a rugged line of gray pebbles and dark, smelly sand, Mary lifted her lantern high and held her breath. Partially buried on the beach before her was a true monument of discovery. Rising to her height was the obvious skull, jawbone, and huge terrible teeth of what once must have been a giant lizard.

Mary had scoured every curiosity shop for everything that was unusual and unique, but she had never seen anything like this. She knew at once that her discovery was priceless and beyond value. She also understood that what she was seeing was the beginning of something others would study for lifetimes.

With her dog Tray barking furiously at the terrible lizard in the sand, Mary blew out the flame in her lantern and ran back against the rising sun to wake her brother for help. When the reluctant brother rose and came to the shore and saw the bones of the first dinosaur ever found, he quickly began digging with his sister until the skull and all of the scary teeth were free.

Apparently, a wooden cart was the transporting conveyance for the first dinosaur fossil to reach the leading curio shop in Mary’s seaside town of Lyme Regis. During the following weeks of “High Season,” the town and the streets on the southwest coast of England were busy with sightseeing tourists who could not get enough of the terrible lizard that many believed was a lost dragon that had flown from China.

Mary learned of selling fossils to curiosity shops from her father who often used the fledgling trade to supplement his income as a cabinetmaker. After her first impressive discovery, inquisitive tourists were always looking for another ostentatious find. Years later, an adult Mary Anning was able to open her own fossil shop and continued to discover important dinosaur remains during the remainder of her life.

Ichthyosaurus anningae is the official name for Mary’s first famous treasure, but many cannot help but wonder if the spark of her drive and inspiration came from the lightning strike that almost took her life when she was the listless baby with a doubtful future. 

Tom Williams is a Marco Islander and the author of two books: “Lost and Found” and “Surrounded by Thunder - the Story of Darrell Loan and the Rocket Men.” Both books are available on Kindle and Nook.