NOW THAT THE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG—or rather the bones are almost out of the ground—it’s time to tell the real reason for our Denver Museum Hell Creek Road Trip.
Someone has to live in Marmarth (photo from Internet)
"The Brothers" off to explore
I am sure that North Dakota has its share of those idyllic small towns you wish you had grown up in. Marmarth probably wouldn’t be one of them! It’s just a wide spot on the road to Nowhere with only 20 kids in the elementary school. But someone must live in Marmarth—after all, Tyler, the DMNS paleontologist grew up here. Three of the current Someones are Jessin, Liam and Kaidin; a pair of siblings and their cousin who refer to themselves The Brothers.
Jessim, Kaiden and Liam—armed and dangerous
The Brothers and their Hero
Last fall while climbing on the dried mud “gumbo” hills, The Brothers discovered a very much intact, articulated dinosaur skeleton. It appeared to be a big dude—they hoped for a ferocious T-Rex—but it’s more than likely one of the veggie-munching duck-billed hadrosaurs that once roamed the area, Still, it is an impressive find, especially for 10-year olds; when I was that age we were playing tag and digging for worms! Since Tyler is pretty famous in Marmarth, a real role model to these kids, and since Jessin's and Liam’s dad had been a Marmarth classmate of Tyler’s, word of their discovery quickly got back to Denver.
Kirk on the Rocks (photo from Internet)
Tyler and Ian in a former lifetime (photo from Internet)
Shooting some B-Roll for IMAX
Paleontologists comprise a small community. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a connection to the Smithsonian Museum through former DMNS Curator Kirk Johnson, now Director of the Smithsonian and from there to National Geographic Chief Scientist and DMNS alum Ian Miller and then who knows where. Long story short, National Geo sent an IMAX team to interview the “Brothers” and film the unearthing of the 66 million year old beast. We got to go along for the ride.
The trail to the top is a tricky one
Taking Five . . . or maybe Ten
Quiet on the Set . . . Ready . . . ACTION!
The skeleton lies on a shelf high up a “gumbo” rock formation so the Museum’s volunteers used picks and shovels to create a stairway of sorts, much appreciated by yours truly. Once on top The Bros helped Tyler uncover a bit of the skeleton mainly for the IMAX crew while the staff and volunteers took a well-earned breather. The real work would begin after the Fourth with jack hammers and heavy equipment followed by picks and shovels and eventually ice picks and artist’s brushes. In the meantime, a tarp was placed over the bones which were re-covered with dirt to protect the site from the elements . . . and from prying eyes.
Some Tools of the Trade
An authorized "Cover-up" Operation
Natalie swings a mean Pick
Connie and Christina supervise
It’s been two weeks now and the excavation is nearing completion. As we understand it, an Anonymous Donor has agreed to hire a helicopter to fly the jacketed skeleton to a flatbed truck for transport to Denver. The unveiling—fingers crossed—is tentatively scheduled for September 1 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The Brothers will be on-hand—and so will Connie and John.
End of a long day in Hell (Creek)
Stay tuned for further developments.
