Museum of the Rockies

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Museum of the Rockies
Museum of the Rockies.JPG
Museum of the Rockies front entrance.
Museum of the Rockies
Established1957
Location600 W. Kagy Boulevard, Bozeman, Montana, United States
Coordinates 45°39′32″N111°02′44″W / 45.65881°N 111.0456°W / 45.65881; -111.0456
TypeGeneral History Museum
DirectorChristopher Dobbs
CuratorDr. John Scannella, John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology; Michael Fox, Curator of History; Steve Jackson, Curator of Art & Photography
Website www.museumoftherockies.org

Museum of the Rockies is a museum in Bozeman, Montana. Originally affiliated with Montana State University in Bozeman, and now also, the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is largely known for its Paleontological collections as well as having the largest collection of North American Dinosaur fossils in the United States. They also possess the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered, as well as the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex that contains soft-tissue remains. [1] The museum is part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and is Montana's official repository for Paleontological specimens.

Contents

The museum's collections focus on the physical and cultural history of the Rocky Mountains and the people and animals who have lived there, and date back more than 500 million years. Permanent exhibits include: "Enduring Peoples", which chronicles the life of Native Americans on the Northern Plains and near the Rocky Mountains; "History of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region", whose inhabitants included Native Americans, fur traders, gold seekers, and settlers from frontier days through World War II; the Living History Farm, which includes the Tinsley House, where costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn-of-the-century home; and the Taylor Planetarium, a 40 ft (12 m), 104-seat domed theater.

Overview

Dioramic reconstruction of Middle Cambrian sponge Choia and Annelid worms. Diorama of the Burgess Shale Biota (Middle Cambrian) - Choia sponges, annelid worms.jpg
Dioramic reconstruction of Middle Cambrian sponge Choia and Annelid worms.

Museum of the Rockies preserves and tells the stories of Montana and the Northern Rockies, educating visitors about the region's rich history, which includes its Paleontological roots. [2] The museum was founded in 1957, funded in part by a gift from Caroline M. McGill. The museum's collection has grown to include 300,000 objects that cover over 500,000,000 years of history. In 1980, the museum acquired over 10,000 photographs and negatives from the heirs of Albert, Alfred and Chris Schlechten (now known as the Schlechten collection). These photographs chronicle the Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park areas over two generations (from about 1905 until the late 1970s). [3]

The museum offers symposiums, allowing Native Americans whose tribes called the region home to share their oral histories with visitors. [4] In 2005, the museum became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, which provided the museum greater access to the collections and programs of that institute. [5]

Traveling exhibits that visit the museum have covered topics such as African American art, [6] television and film costumes, [7] the impact of weapons on the cultures of the Rocky Mountains, [8] and King Tut. [9]

At the Museum

Tinsley House

The Tinsley House Tinsley House.jpg
The Tinsley House

The Tinsley House ( 45°39′29″N111°02′41″W / 45.65798°N 111.0447°W / 45.65798; -111.0447 ) is preserved by the Museum of the Rockies as a living history museum. The 100+ year-old house was originally located in Willow Creek and it was moved to its present site (on more than 10 acres (40,000 m2)) in front of the museum in 1989. At the museum, visitors can learn about the life of the Tinsleys and others who lived at the time. The house includes a functioning outhouse, water pump [10] and kitchen.

The Tinsleys migrated west during the American Civil War. William and Lucy [Nave] Tinsley met in Virginia City, Montana, where both worked. They relocated to the Gallatin Valley after they married. The Tinsleys built their house in 1889 when the original cabin became too small to accommodate their growing family. The house provides an overview of homestead life in the 1800s in the Gallatin Valley. The house was constructed of logs accumulated over the course of two years from the Tobacco Root Mountains.

Paleontology

Visitors have a window into the process by which fossil pieces are assembled together. MuseumOfTheRockiesFossilPrep.jpg
Visitors have a window into the process by which fossil pieces are assembled together.

While not its sole focus, the museum is primarily known for its paleontological collections. However, this was not always the case as specimens found in Montana were usually taken out of state to other museums. This changed in 1990 with the discovery of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that would remain in Montana and be exhibited at the museum. [11]

While fossils continue to be the property of the federal government, the museum has been able to increase its collection (due in part to Curator Jack Horner's agreement and work with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Bureau of Land Management). [12] The museum is now home to 13 Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens, including one of only two complete skeletons that have ever been found. [13]

Triceratops on display: "Yoshi's Trike" (MOR 3027) and a baby. Yoshi-Trike-0006.jpg
Triceratops on display: "Yoshi's Trike" (MOR 3027) and a baby.

Apart from housing one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in the world and the largest in the United States, [14] the museum is also home to one of the world's largest Tyrannosaurus skulls (MOR 008) – narrowly surpassing that of the Chicago Field Museum's specimen, Sue. [15] The museum's Siebel Dinosaur Complex is home to one of the first identified female dinosaurs, an ovulating T. rex. [1] Curator Horner, who served as an adviser to the Jurassic Park films, [14] [16] was one of the lead scientists involved in the 2005 discovery of soft tissue remains in the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus, [17] which were later brought to the museum. The museum has also been involved in a number of other finds, including a baby Triceratops in Jordan, Montana, in 2006, [18] and "Yoshi's Trike" (MOR 3027), a large Triceratops specimen with 125 cm long horns, discovered in 2010. [19]

In June 2008, the museum formed part of a consortium that obtained a mobile paleontology lab that would assist researchers, allowing them to chemically analyze fossils while still in the field in order to help prevent degradation. [20]

T. rex specimen MOR 008. T. rex MOR 008.jpg
T. rex specimen MOR 008.

With the completion of MOR's new Curatorial Center for the Humanities in 2017 and the removal of humanities items to this new storage facility, the MOR Paleontology department will gain about 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of space in the museum's basement to expand the collection of fossils. The department will also add three research staff, who will be housed in the basement, bringing the total number of researchers to eight by some time in late 2018. [21]

Curatorial Center for the Humanities

On April 28, 2016, the museum broke ground on a new $4 million, 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) Curatorial Center for the Humanities (CCH). [22] [23] The new building will provide storage and curatorial space for the museum's humanities collection, which includes art, archaeological, historic, Native American, and photographic items. [22] About 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) of the building will be devoted to storage space, with the remaining 7,000 square feet (650 m2) containing office and work space. [22] Private donations paid for the entire cost of the structure, which meant that no state funds were used. [23] [21] Slate Architecture of Helena designed the structure. Bill Walker was the lead architect. Civil and structural engineering, as well as planning for the electrical system, mechanical system, and plumbing were provided by Morrison Maierle, Inc., of Bozeman. The general contractor was Jackson Contractor Group of Bozeman. [24]

Bronze cast of "Big Mike" (T. rex) femur in front of the MOR building. Big Mike (popis).jpg
Bronze cast of "Big Mike" (T. rex) femur in front of the MOR building.

Curators at MOR began cataloging all the humanities items in storage in 2015. [21]

Construction on the building is expected to be complete June 2017. Humanities items currently on display and in storage will then be taken to the CCH for conservation and restoration. Moving the items is expected to take another year. [21]

MOR officials said that the history hall exhibits will be completely revamped after the move to the CCH is completed. [21]

Education

Students from all over Montana can engage in school tours, homeschool programs, summer camps, and educational classes & lectures at the museum. [25] There are even classes from Montana State University that undergraduates can take, including Undergrad Research. Museum Practices, Undergrad Research & Instruction, and an Independent study with the institution. [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tyrannosaurus</i> Genus of Late Cretaceous theropod

Tyrannosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous. The type species Tyrannosaurus rex, often shortened to T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the latest Campanian-Maastrichtian ages of the Late Cretaceous period, 72.7 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

<i>Triceratops</i> Genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Triceratops is a genus of chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the late Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 to 66 million years ago in what is now western North America. It was one of the last-known non-avian dinosaurs and lived until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. The name Triceratops, which means 'three-horned face', is derived from the Greek words trí- meaning 'three', kéras meaning 'horn', and ṓps meaning 'face'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Horner (paleontologist)</span> American paleontologist (born 1946)

John Robert Horner is an American paleontologist most famous for describing Maiasaura, providing the first clear evidence that some dinosaurs cared for their young. In addition to his paleontological discoveries, Horner served as the technical advisor for the first five Jurassic Park films, had a cameo appearance in Jurassic World, and served as a partial inspiration for one of the lead characters of the franchise, Dr. Alan Grant. Horner studied at the University of Montana, although he did not complete his degree due to undiagnosed dyslexia, and was awarded a Doctorate in Science honoris causa. He retired from Montana State University on July 1, 2016, although he claims to have been pushed out of the Museum of the Rockies after having married an undergraduate student and now teaches as a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Natural History</span> Natural history museum in Washington, D.C.

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 million visitors in 2023, it was the second most-visited museum in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie Museum of Natural History</span> Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896. Housing some 22 million specimens, the museum features one of the finest paleontological and entomological collections in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnum Brown</span> American paleontologist (1873–1963)

Barnum Brown, commonly referred to as Mr. Bones, was an American paleontologist. Named after the circus showman P. T. Barnum, he discovered the first documented remains of Tyrannosaurus during a career that made him one of the most famous fossil hunters working from the late Victorian era into the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell Creek Formation</span> Geological formation in the United States

The Hell Creek Formation is an intensively studied division of mostly Upper Cretaceous and some lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana. The formation stretches over portions of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In Montana, the Hell Creek Formation overlies the Fox Hills Formation. The site of Pompeys Pillar National Monument is a small isolated section of the Hell Creek Formation. In 1966, the Hell Creek Fossil Area was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Museum of Natural Science</span> Natural history museum in Houston, Texas

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston focusing on education and science. The museum complex consists of a central facility with four floors of natural science halls and exhibits, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre. In 2022, the museum received 1,520,000 visitors, making it seventh on the List of most-visited museums in the United States, and was the third most-visited U.S. science museum. Much of the museum's popularity is attributed to its large number of special or guest exhibits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burpee Museum of Natural History</span> Museum in Rockford, Illinois, US

The Burpee Museum of Natural History is located along the Rock River in downtown Rockford, Illinois, United States, at 737 North Main Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Larson</span> American dinosaur dealer

Peter Lars Larson is an American fossil dealer who is head of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, which specialises in the excavation and preparation of fossils. He led the team that excavated "Sue", one of the largest and most complete specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex, which was the subject of a legal dispute resulting in its seizure and public auction. In 1996, Larson was convicted of customs violations related to failing to declare money he had brought from overseas, and served 18 months in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles W. Gilmore</span> American paleontologist

Charles Whitney Gilmore was an American paleontologist who gained renown in the early 20th century for his work on vertebrate fossils during his career at the United States National Museum. Gilmore named many dinosaurs in North America and Mongolia, including the Cretaceous sauropod Alamosaurus, Alectrosaurus, Archaeornithomimus, Bactrosaurus, Brachyceratops, Chirostenotes, Mongolosaurus, Parrosaurus, Pinacosaurus, Styracosaurus ovatus and Thescelosaurus.

Mary Higby Schweitzer is an American paleontologist at North Carolina State University, who led the groups that discovered the remains of blood cells in dinosaur fossils and later discovered soft tissue remains in the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen MOR 1125, as well as evidence that the specimen was a pregnant female when she died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue (dinosaur)</span> Very complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil

Sue is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, which is one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever found, at over 90 percent recovered by bulk. FMNH PR 2081 was discovered on August 12, 1990, by American explorer and fossil collector Sue Hendrickson, and was named after her.

Specimens of <i>Tyrannosaurus</i>

Tyrannosaurus is one of the most iconic dinosaurs and is known from numerous specimens, some of which have individually acquired notability due to their scientific significance and media coverage.

Valley of the T. rex is a Discovery Channel documentary, featuring paleontologist Jack Horner, that aired on September 10, 2001. The program shows Horner with his digging team as they travel to Hell Creek Formation in search for dinosaur fossils, while also following Horner as he presents his view of the theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex as a scavenger rather than a predator, as it is often portrayed in popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dueling Dinosaurs</span> Specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops horridus fighting

The Dueling Dinosaurs or Montana Dueling Dinosaurs is a fossil specimen originating from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. It consists of the fossilized skeletons of a tyrannosaur and a Triceratops horridus entangled with one another, and entombed in sandstone. The "dueling" inference comes from the numerous injuries sustained by both dinosaurs, including a tooth from the tyrannosaur embedded within the Triceratops, although it is not known whether they were actually buried fighting one another. Despite the scientific importance of the specimen, it remained obscure for decades due to a lengthy legal dispute over property rights to the specimen, which has since been resolved. The fossil is in the possession of and being studied by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, where it went on display in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mace Brown Museum of Natural History</span> Natural history museum in South Carolina

The Mace Brown Museum of Natural History is a public natural history museum situated on the campus of The College of Charleston, a public liberal arts college in Charleston, South Carolina. With a collection of over 30,000 vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, the museum focuses on the paleontology of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Admission to the museum is free, and donations are welcome. The museum has the holotype specimens of Coronodon, Cotylocara, and Inermorostrum, as well as the reference specimen of Ankylorhiza tiedemani

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus (dinosaur)</span> Dinosaur specimen

Titus is an obsidian black skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex discovered in the Hell Creek Formation, Montana, United States in 2014 and excavated in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 "Take the State's Dinosaur Trail". Great Falls Tribune. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-06-12.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ William F. Allman (1993-06-17). "The Real Jurassic Park Lies in Montana". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  3. ↑ "Photo Archives". Museum of the Rockies. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  4. ↑ "Montana Tribes to Share Living Histories at Montana State University". 2008-03-21. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  5. ↑ "Museum of the Rockies to Become Smithsonian Affiliate". Helena Independent Record. 2005-08-06. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  6. ↑ "Paul R. Jones Exhibit at Montana State". 2006-02-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  7. ↑ "Costume Display at Bozeman Museum". Montana's News Station. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  8. ↑ Ron Franscell (2001-06-03). "Tools of War Create Lessons of Survival". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  9. ↑ Rob Chaney (18 January 2007). "Tut Exhibit Injects New Life". The Missoulian. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  10. ↑ Chaundera Wolfe. "The Tinsley House". Outside Bozeman. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  11. ↑ "Montana's Bone Bonanza; Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton to Remain in the State". The Washington Post. 1990-08-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  12. ↑ "Theories Evolve in T. Rex Discoveries". The New York Times. 2000-12-26. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  13. ↑ Peggy Mihelich (2007-03-08). "Jack Horner Knows his Dinosaurs". CNN . Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  14. 1 2 Claire Walter (2008-05-20). "'Dinosaur Highway' Rich in Dig Sites, Museums". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  15. ↑ Andrew Herrmann (2006-04-12). "Head to Head, new T. Rex Beats Field's Museum's Sue". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  16. ↑ Susan Gallagher (1993-11-21). "Maverick Dinosaur Expert Gets in His Digs in Montana Fossils". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-12.[ dead link ]
  17. ↑ Guy Gugliotta (2005-03-25). "A Major T. Rex Breakthrough". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-12.[ permanent dead link ]
  18. ↑ "Baby Triceratops Found by Museum of the Rockies Researchers". 2006-07-21. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  19. ↑ ""Yoshi's Trike" on display at Museum of the Rockies - The MSU Exponent". 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "New Mobile Paleontology Lab Begins Work". UPI. 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Elwell, Matt (March 6, 2017). "Museum of the Rockies looks to future with new building". KBZK.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 "Museum of the Rockies groundbreaking ceremony". KTVQ.com. April 28, 2016. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Museum of the Rockies Plans New Curatorial Center for the Humanities". Mountains & Minds. Fall 2016. p. 6. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  24. ↑ Drummond, Victoria (January 22, 2016). January 26, 2016, meeting of the University Facilities Planning Board (PDF) (Report). Bozeman, Mont.: Office of the University Planner. pp. 4–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  25. ↑ Incorporated, Prime. "Education and Public Programming". Museum of the Rockies. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  26. ↑ "MOR - Museum of the Rockies < Montana State University". catalog.montana.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
Duck-billed dinosaurs and Triceratops skulls. Museum of the Rockies Dinosaur Heads.JPG
Duck-billed dinosaurs and Triceratops skulls.

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