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Friday, June 20, 2014

Montana digs dinosaurs...

by Larry Miller

It was a hot and dry summer afternoon when, nearly 40 years ago, I walked along a hillside in Hot Springs, South Dakota, taking pictures of Chadron State Coillege students, feverishly working at unearthing a collection of mammoth bones. It had been a remarkable discovery, one that would bode well for the community, Chadron State College……and science.

And this week, I learned there’s another paleo-playground just across the border in Montana.  It’s a burgeoning dinosaur business that’s been thriving for, oh, several millions of years. 

Don Matthesen (left) and MSU student Jack Wilson
Montana State University and its Earth Sciences department spiritual mentor Jack Horner (of Jurassic Park fame) have put together “the largest paleontological field program in the country.”  MSU students have hit the road all across the state, and we met one of them this week in Ekalaka, which is nestled in far southeast Montana.

Jack Wilson is an Earth Sciences major at MSU, and he’s one of the young folks who’ve helped the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka become one of the finest small museums in the region.

He and fellow students assist the museum staff in numerous ways, examining and identifying fossils, conducting research and helping with exhibits.  Another MSU student, a graphic arts major, recently redesigned what is now an impressive museum website.  There’s little doubt that these young folks are helping revitalize the Carter County Museum.

Friend Don Matthesen and I have visited a few museums around the area over the past couple of years, and each one has its particular attraction.  However, I confess I was more than a bit oblivious to the museum at Ekalaka, and when he first mentioned it, I hesitated a bit.  But Don and I have found a lot of interesting things during earlier museum treks, so I quickly warmed up to the idea of visiting the Carter County Museum.

The expressway to Ekalaka, Montana
The three-hour trip from Spearfish to Ekalaka took just a bit longer, since we had to navigate through a herd of several hundred cattle on Wyoming 323 about 20 miles north of Alzada.  Having grown up in Nebraska, I'm not unaccustomed to seeing cattle driven across country -- but this was something a bit different.  

It was quite an experience in itself, watching the cattle meander along the road and ditch, prompted occasionally by a pickup and a gent on a four-wheeler, which more often than not is the new steed of choice for ranchers these days.

After arriving in Ekalaka and enjoying a hearty breakfast at the Wagon Wheel cafĂ©, we spent several hours exploring the museum, which offers a real variety of items.  From arrowheads and dinosaurs to pottery, photographs, old newspapers, and well-constructed exhibits reflecting American Indian life on the plains through the era of white settlements by early pioneers.  And the price is right, too:  Free.  Of course, generous contributions are always appreciated!

You can enjoy a brief photographic tour by visiting our Carter County Museum gallery.

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