1937
  • A collection of Permian fossil reptiles and fishes was purchased from Dr. Robert Broom. Expedition to the Hell Creek beds and Judith River beds of Montana for Dinosaurs, June - Oct., Barnum Brown. The Fort Peck dam, across the Missouri River was complete this summer. A lake with 1,600 miles shore line will be created flooding much of the classic hunting fields for Cretaceous dinosaurs. Brown located a trachodon skeleton, and incomplete ceratopsian skeleton and 2 skulls in the area that will be submerged. He also had found s ceratopsian skull and jaws in the Judith River beds S of Havre, MT. American Museum-Sinclair Expedition to Rock Springs, WY. In the roof of coal mines of Mesa Verde Cretaceous age in WY, CO and UT are found tracks of the largest land-living creatures that ever lived, 3-toed tracks that measure 40 inches from heel to toe and 32 inches across the side toes. In a Colorado mine several tracks of one individuals are preserved in succession, measuring 16 feet between impressions. Tyrannosaurus stands 18 � feet high and could step nine feet. The toe pads show that it was a large Iguanodont that walked upright. No dinosaur bones had been described from the Mesa Verde Fm., but Brown during an American Museum-Sinclair aeroplane flight stopped at Rock Springs, WY. He located an exposure of large dinosaur bones extending along a hill side for 25 feet on the Union Pacific coal land. This bone layer extends under a fairly heavy overburden. Presumably the quarry will be similar to Howe Quarry, but the bones are larger. Brown was the leader of he 1937 American Museum-Sinclair Dinosaur expedition, which spent 5 months in WY and CO. The dinosaur work was financed by the Sinclair Refining Company, while shorter periods in the Tertiary were financed by The Frick Pliocene Field Fund. The Party in addition to Dr. and Mrs. Barnum Brown, included Roland T. Bird, Robert Chaffee and Gil Stucker from the American Museum, and Dr. Erich M. Schlaiker of Brooklyn College, Dr. G. Edward Lewis of Yale University, G. D. Guadagni of Boston and James Ryan of the University of Tennessee. During 5 months of search and strenuous digging in the egg-shaped "dinosaur bowl", that stretches some 30 miles on both sides of the Union Pacific tracks from Point of Rocks to Rock Springs in WY, and in the coals mines at Cedaredge, CO, Dr. Brown and party excavated a car load of dinosaur bones and fossil plants, plus a strip of dinosaur tracks which weights some 16,000 pounds. The expedition produced these results: discovery of unknown dinosaurs in the Mesa Verde Fm. Recovering gigantic foot prints from a Mesa Verde Fm. coal mine. After many years of unsuccessful quest, the finding of just one bone, a partially destroyed arm bone, of a possible iguanodont dinosaur. Locating on a steep hillside and at the very base of a transcontinental airways beacon, the skeleton of a weird armored dinosaur. Collecting the partial skeleton of a very large duck-billed dinosaur. Finding a 77 different species of plants in a coal mine. Collecting a mountable skeleton of a small duck-billed dinosaur, 2 skulls of a horned dinosaur and incomplete bones of a carnivorous dinosaur. Making a small, but interesting collection form the Wasatch and Bridger beds in WY. The Union Pacific Railroad gave access to its mines, equipment and transported the fossil for free. Expeditions. Mr. Albert Thomson supported by the Frick Pliocene Fund, spent about 3 months in the Big Badlands of South Dakota. Working from Scenic, he secured a small, but choice, collection of mammals, particularly rich in saber-toothed cats and rodents. Mr. Granger visited his camp.
19361938