Vent: The old quarry near my street is getting filled in

Miles Allen · 2026-03-02T00:40:59.720091+00:00

We found fossils there all the time when I was younger. Does anyone else miss when places like that were just for exploring?

hayes.joel7mo ago

Exactly what jones.nancy said, and it goes even deeper. Those empty lots and wild spots taught us how to look at the world, to find cool stuff in plain dirt. Filling in every last one doesn't just cover fossils, it buries the whole chance for a kid to just wander and find something totally on their own. Makes everything feel safe and clean, sure, but also kinda small and pre-planned. It turns real discovery into something you only see behind glass in a museum, not in your own hands. Really feels like we're losing something basic that we didn't even know we needed.

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jones.nancy7mo ago

Progress sure loves to pave over childhood memories like those fossils.

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shanem377mo ago

Man, I read something a while back that really stuck with me. It was about how we're in a "lawsuit happy" time, and nobody wants to get sued if a kid gets hurt in an empty lot or an old quarry. So they just fill it all in or put up fences. It makes everything feel so... tame and boring. All the good, messy, find-it-yourself spots get turned into another housing plan or a sterile park. Really hits home hearing about your quarry getting covered up.

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