Museum of the Rockies

The museum is the fossil repository for a large part of Montana, which matters because the Hell Creek Formation in the east of the state is among the richest late-Cretaceous deposits anywhere. Jack Horner built the collection here over decades and the research done from it changed several assumptions - the Maiasaura nest sites he excavated provided the first strong evidence that some dinosaurs cared for their young, and work on growth series argued that several named species were juveniles of others. The collection holds more Tyrannosaurus specimens than anywhere. Beyond the fossils there is a planetarium, a Montana history wing and a living-history farm open in summer.

Background

Founded in 1957, the museum joined the Smithsonian Institution as an affiliate in 2005 and is Montana's official repository for fossils. Its 300,000 objects span over 500,000,000 years. Among them are 13 Tyrannosaurus rex specimens, one of them a rare complete skeleton, and the skull MOR 008, a little larger than that of Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago. Soft tissue found in 2005 in a Tyrannosaurus thigh bone was later brought here, along with "Yoshi's Trike", a Triceratops found in 2010 with horns 125 cm long. The Schlechten collection, acquired in 1980, holds over 10,000 photographs and negatives of Bozeman and Yellowstone. The Tinsley House, a log home of 1889, was moved from Willow Creek in 1989.

Source: Wikipedia, "Museum of the Rockies"

Highlights

• A very large Montana fossil collection - much of it from Hell Creek.
• The Maiasaura nesting evidence - which changed thinking on parental care.
• Multiple Tyrannosaurus specimens - more than any other institution holds.
• A planetarium and history wing - alongside the palaeontology.

When to go

Year round; the outdoor farm runs in summer. Three hours.

Practical notes

Fossil halls are the strength; other wings are more local in interest. Bozeman is expensive and busy in summer. The living-history farm is seasonal. Special exhibitions cost extra.

Nearby

Yellowstone's north entrance is about ninety minutes south.

Key facts