1905 The expedition of 1905 to the Bridger and Wind River Basin. The party consisted of Walter Granger, in charge, Dr. William J. Sinclair of Princeton University, Mr. P. C. Miller of the museum's staff, Mr. D. D. Streeter, Jr., a volunteer and Mr. George Olsen of Laramie, cook and teamster. Mr.'s Granger, Miller and Olsen were with the party throughout the season; Dr. Sinclair remained until early September; Mr. Streeter joined the party at Sage Creek Spring about June 29th and remained until the start for Wind River about Aug. 20th. He then joined Mr. Kaisen's party at Medicine Bow. Mr.'s Granger, Miller and Dr. Sinclair left New York June 1st and reached Fort Bridger on the 4th, were they were joined by Mr. Olsen. On the 6th the first camp was made at Mt. View. The next day a working camp was established at Smith's Fork near the stage road ford about 5 miles below Mr. View, and from which a rich pocket of Grizzly Buttes could be reached. Due to lack of snow during the winter, water was scarce and camp sites used in previous seasons, lacked water this year. Areas that had been collected in previous years were still barren, not enough erosion had occurred to make it worth trying to collect in those regions. About 50 specimens were obtained from a low, flat-topped butte lying between the Grizzly Butte bluff and Smith's Fork, called locality "Poverty Flat". One important specimen was skull, jaws and possible skeleton of Uintacyon. The outfit moved to Sage Creek Spring on the Henry's Fork road, and a few week was spent searching the exposures of C and D along the N and W slopes of Sage Creek Mountain. Very little was found here. The next move was to Henry's Fork Hill and Sage Creek in the vicinity of the stage road. To the north of the divide and on both sides of the stage road is an enormous pocket of badlands in horizon C and D. 30 specimens came from this region, including a beautiful skull of Manteoceras. From Henry's Fork Hill the outfit moved to Summer's ranch and the exposures on Summer's Dry Creek. This area was worked out and nothing of importance was discovered. Near Bullock's ranch, the next camp, 3 days were spent in going over old ground and a skull of Hemiacodon ? was found. The party next moved to the mouth of Burnt Fork where Hyopsodus (large), Hyrachyus, Notharctus and a carnivore. Upon leaving Burnt Fork the party returned to Summer's ranch, remaining there long enough to make a trip to the head of Beaver Creek. They then proceeded to the old camping place on Smith's Fork, east of Lyman, from which part of Grizzly Butte East are accessible and also portion of the Cottonwood Creek bench. The Middle Cottonwood Creek section, comprising a stretch of about 2 miles of the bluff, was examined and yielded 2 good skeletons, Hyrachyus and Sinopa. The party moved to Millersville, where 2 days were spent, then down to Black Fork and Church Butte. At Black Fork they examined the exposures at Schmidt's ranch and 2 days collecting was done along the bluff which extends along the S side of Black's Fork below Fort Bridger. After packing the material already collected, the party moved to Opal, on Hain's Fork, stopping over 1 day on Little Muddy Creek to examine exposures there. No mammal bones were seen. At Opal 2 days were spent in the Horizon A level. Fragmentary remains were all that were found. Passing down Hain's Fork, examining the bluffs on the way, the party reached Granger on August 17th. Passing a few miles S of Granger station is an eastward extension of the middle Church Buttes bench. Some of the pockets in this bluff were nearly as rich in small mammals as any locality in the Bridger. A week was spent collecting here. On Aug. 23rd the trip to the Wind River was begun. The mouth of Big Sandy was made the 1st day, and the following 2 days were spent searching the exposures. From Big Sandy the route followed was along the old Oregon Trail to Pacific Springs and South Pass, and thence to Atlantic and Lander. They reached Lander on Aug. 31st and made the acquaintance was made of Mr. N. H, Brown, the town postmaster, who first discovered the reptile remains in the beds near Lander. From Lander the outfit proceeded to the Wind River exposures lying eastward, stopping over 1 day on Little Creek to visit Dr. Williston's camp. The first camp was established at Muskrat P. O. No mammals were found here and the party moved to Kauson's ranch on Poison Creek, about 10 miles S. of Lost Cabin. With a few exceptions the Wind River is pretty barren formation and everywhere the fossils are very fragmentary. After a few days of fairly successful work the camp was established near Lost Cabin. A week's work on Alkali Creek and along Bad Water immediately below Lost Cabin was fairly successful. About 5 miles NW of Lost Cabin a pocket was finally discovered in what is known as Cottonwood Draw, a tributary of Bridger Creek. The camp was moved to Wolf's Ranch 4 miles above Lost Cabin on Bad Water Creek and within a mile of the fossil bed. About 100 specimens were collected in this locality. Efforts to find another pocket in that area was not successful. From Lost Cabin the party moved down Bad Water Creek to Wind River examining exposures on both sides of the Creek but finding them barren. At Wind River a camp was made just above the canyon and the badlands on the east side of the river were explored with little results. The river was not fordable so the exposures on the west side on the Indian Reservation were not accessible, besides the party also got caught in a snow storm. They returned to Lander. They reached Granger on Oct. 11th. The 150 specimens collected in the Wind River were carried back with the outfit. At Granger 2 days were spent looking at the beds and on the 2nd day a skull, jaws and partial skeleton of Orohippus was found. The skeleton was collected in a snow storm. Oct. 15th the party was disbanded. Expedition of 1905 to the Laramie of Montana, by Barnum Brown. The party consisted of Brown, Mr. L. R. Parkin, assistant and a cook, outfitted at Billings, MT on May 30th. Due to rain, they camp was made at Coburn on Pryor Creek, 30 miles S of Billings, where they could prospect the Ft. Benton shales. Only 2 crocodile jaws were worth collecting. After a week's work, traveled down the Musselshell to the crossing, but did not work any of the Judith River beds. Leaving the Musselshell at this point, they traveled over the prairie to the tributaries of the Big Dry, where isolated peaks of Laramie lignite were first seen in the beds of Calf Creek. Going down the Big Dry to Jordan they crossed the divide and camped at the old Max Sieber ranch on Hell Creek. As it continued to rain every day, we began work in the old Deinodon (=Tyrannosaurus) quarry of 1902. In 1902 had collected pubes, ischium, angular, distal end of femur, metatarsal, 5 vertebrae, ectopterygoid ?, a skull bone, and a small humerus, thought to belong to this specimen. The quarry was in sandstone so the rain did not interfere with work. At the bottom struck a large concretion that contained the ilium and a smaller concretion contained a skull bone. At this point it was decided to make a larger excavation 30 feet long, 15 feet wide and 20 feet deep. The quarry is on the S side of a high pinnacle about 75 feet above the creek, the elevation necessitated a much longer stripping at first. The upper 9 feet of sand was plowed and scraped off, but below that the sand was cemented into a hard mass that could be removed only by blasting. At this point 2 more men were employed, and they then blasted off the face of the cut taking up the concretions as they came to them. Only one large bone was found not encased in a heavy concretion and some were found free except for one end, around which would be formed a concretion. One of the men spent 4 days chiseling superfluous matrix, reducing the block to 4,150 lbs. when shipped. It took six horses to haul the block from the quarry and 4 to haul it Miles City. The quarry yielded a femur, humerus, ilium, premaxilla, both lower jaws, scapula ?, several skull bones, ribs and a good many bones in concrete that could not be identified. Mr. Parkin returned to college in August 20th, and Mr. Mert Stockwell took his place, as assistant. On Aug. 28th we moved about 12 miles to Anderson's ranch on the east fork of Hell Creek. This is the most rugged of all the Laramie badlands and very difficult to work. Bones are numerous but badly crushed. Many Triceratops skull were found but none well preserved. One nearly complete leg of Triceratops was discovered and the radius, ulna and phalanges were taken up. About 5 miles NE of camp a large Hadrosaurus specimen was found with a femur, tibia, fibula, humeri, lower jaws and phalanx embedded in sandstone and beautifully preserved. On Sept. 12th we crossed the Missouri River and camped at Hoppers ranch, 6 miles N of the river. Near the house they took out a hind leg, nearly complete, but badly weathered of another Tyrannosaurus. The rest of the season Brown prospected on Crooked Creek, locating several good prospects. On Sept. 19th Alfred Sensiba and Brown went to Oscar Hunter's ranch to examine the Claosaur skeleton found by Mr. Hunter and owned by Mr. Sensiba. I offered $250, which was accepted. It was left for another season. The party returned to Miles City. Expedition of 1905 to the Jurassic of southern Wyoming, by P. C. Kaisen. The party consisted of P. C. Kaisen, assisted by Guy Gibson, hired in Medicine Bow. Aug. 26th, Mr. D. D. Streeter, Jr., joined the party, leaving again Sept. 20th. Camp was established at Bone Cabin Quarry June 30th. A stripping of about 1,500 square feet was made and 1,260 square feet were explored. The bones were much scarcer than before. Only in one pocket were bones found in considerable number. These were all limb bones, and that pocket comprised nearly all the seasons collection. In all other places the bones were badly crushed and rotten, consisting mostly of scattered vertebrae. The quarry seems to be gradually playing out. The best specimen of the season is part of a small predentate skeleton. There was an Allosaurus hind limb with part of a foot and a Morosaurus fore limb with foot. The rest of the collection consists of limb bones with part of feet associated and several parts of feet. The weight of the boxes shipped to NY was 3,000 lbs. On Oct. 2nd work was closed and the outfit sold. Field work from Report upon Palaeichthyology, by L. Hussakof for Basford Dean, honorary curator. The Devonian localities in Ohio were thoroughly explored and an extensive series of fishes were secured.

1904

1906