1902
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The chief purchase of the year was a fossil fish, Portheus molossus, 16 feet long. Expedition to
southwestern Montana, Colorado and South Dakota. The party consisted of Dr. W. D. Matthew, in
charge, Dr. F. B. Loomis, volunteer assistant, Mr. Albert Thomson, assistant and Mr. Elmer Beswick,
teamster and cook. The purpose of this expedition was to explore Tertiary strata, especially to look for
Lower Oligocene 3-toed horses. The party outfitted at Bozeman and started, June 27 and went up to
Pipestone Creek by going up The Madison River Valley and Jefferson River Valley. Various mammal
specimens were collected in the Madison Valley beds. In the Boulder River valley there are scattered
pockets of Upper Miocene not very fossilerous, but in one spot an incomplete Ticholeptus was found.
In Thompson Creek and Pipestone Creek localities the beds are Oligocene. A diverse collection of
mammals was made and some lizards and tortoises were also collected. On return to Bozeman, the
expedition broke up with Dr. Matthew proceeding to the Bridger Basin with Mr. Granger. Mr. Thomson
and Mr. Loomis went to Pawnee Buttes, Colorado to complete the exploration of the Miocene beds of
that region. They explored the exposures north and west from where the 1901 party had left off, but
found the beds very barren. A fine skull of Teleoceras was found and some less important specimens.
The party then went northward to the Big Badlands in South Dakota, where they spent the remainder of
the season until the end of September. The William C. Whitney Expedition to South Dakota. Mr. J. W.
Gidley, accompanied by Mr. Henry F. Wells of Sturgis, SD, who furnished the outfit, and Mr. Ben
Johnson, cook, began work on Cedar Draw and Squaw Creek, camping on what is called "old flour trail",
which leads from the mouth of Battle Creek to the Pine Ridge Agency. The exposures here are all
White River Fm and mostly Oreodon beds. The party spent a little more than a month at this locality,
securing some good Mesohippus bairdi and other forms. From here the party went to the head of Little
White River and followed down the stream to Rosebud Agency, nothing of importance was found until
they reached Rosebud. Here in the exposures 4miles W of the Agency was found a fine skeleton of
Neohipparion whitneyi. Going NW the party traveled to the Black Pipe country. To the N the Loup
Fork deposits disappear and the White River beds took there place. The beds continued eastward for at
least 40 or 50 miles. Traveling N to and crossing the White River the party turned W and followed up the
White River to Kane Creek, then W passing N of Sheep Mountain into Sage Creek Basin, where the
party finished the season work. The Expedition to the Jurassic of southern Wyoming. Mr. Granger and
Mr. Kaisen left the museum June 16th. Medicine Bow was reached June 22nd. The outfit was taken
from Mr. Beery's ranch where it had been stored for the winter. Mr. George Olsen was employed as
cook and teamster and quarry assistant and remained with the outfit until the shipment of fossil early in
December. It was thought advisable to work Reed Quarry early in the season, as the water in Rock
Creek becomes undrinkable by September. A new stripping was made at Reed Quarry and bones
were taken out until the arrival of Dr. Matthew Aug. 3rd. On Aug. 6th, Dr. Matthew left with Mr. Granger
for a months work in the Bridger Basin under the auspices of the U. S. G. S. Mr. Kaisen remained in
charge until Dr. Matthew's return Sept. 2nd. Although the stripping had not all been worked out, it was
deemed best to close the quarry at this time and move to Bone Cabin Quarry. On Nov. 2nd, with no
promising pocket in site, and with unfavorable weather, camp was broken and the outfit placed with Mr.
Beery again. Expedition of 1901 to Montana (Cretaceous). Barnum Brown arrived in Miles City, June
17th. From here he went to Forsyth where he made several side trips, but found little worth collecting.
Returning to Miles City, he took an outfit S to Powder River. 60 miles above the junction of the Mezpah.
Powder River dinosaur bones were found underlying lignite beds. In these strata there is very little
sandstone. The shales containing bones are exposed along the east side of Spring Creek, one of the
Powder tributaries, in steep escarpments with a few weathered hills in the valleys. Brown located a
badly crushed Triceratops skull and parts of 2 skeletons in poor condition. Returning to Miles City July
2nd Brown found R. S. Lull waiting for him. The left for the bad lands of the Hell Creek on July 5th.
Between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers only the upper lignite beds are exposed in broken
county with undulating grass covered plains. Close to the Missouri River, however, the short
tributaries of this river cut the surface with deep canyons and wonderful rugged badlands. It was at the
head of one of these canyons, Hell Creek, that they established camp at the old Max Sieber ranch,
about 130 miles NW of miles City and 12 miles S. of the Missouri River. The head of this canyon starts in
the Lignite beds, cutting down through the dinosaur beds and into the Fort Pierre before emptying into the
Missouri. During the first day of prospecting Brown located a carnivorous dinosaur (no. 975) on
Sheba Hill near camp and a Triceratops, no. 971, near Red Butte, a mile SE of camp. Also he found a
Triceratops, no. 970 about a mile NE of camp. Mr. Phillip Brooks of the Massachusetts Agricultural
College joined them on July 15th and stayed with the party for 5 weeks. During the season they
prospected the surrounding country on Snow Creek, Hell Creek, Crooked Creek and the Missouri River.
About 15 skulls were found in clays above the sandstone beds, but other bones were so badly crushed
and broken that they were left. Prof. Lull returned to New York on Sept. 18th and on Sept. 29th. Brown
finished work in this locality, establishing a new camp at Percy Williamson's ranch, 16 miles NW of
Jordans. While in camp Brown located 3 rhynchocephalian skeletons and a crocodylian skeleton in the
lower lignite beds above the dinosaur clays, one mile N of the ranch. Brown continued to prospect, but
no other material was located, so he returned to Miles City. The result of the season was 21 boxes,
about half a freight car load. Brown proceeded to Billings October 21st, to investigate some Jurassic
(Cloverly Fm. ?) located on Beauvais Creek on the Crow Indian Reservation, Near Mr. Cashens
house there was a locality where a good many vertebrae and small limb bones seen. In one place 16
small caudal vertebrae were found together. Brown found bones in 3 places along this creek. This
closed Brown's season.
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