--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Alter, J. Cecil collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 22 number: 8 published: 1919-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Alter, J. Cecil, "Digging the Dinosaur in Utah," *Improvement Era* 22, no. 8 (June 1919): 664–672.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2208unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2208unse start_page: 664 end_page: 672 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1919-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2208unse publication_year: 1919 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1919, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Digging the Dinosaur in Utah In the Dinosaur District (For descriptions, see opposite page.) DIGGING THE DINOSAUR IN UTAH 667 — Top At work at Carnegie Museum Dinosaur Quarry. Shows pelvis, femur and other bones of skeleton exposed. A man is at work behind the femur, which is nearly in place. — Middle Professor Earl Douglas, paleontologist, Carnegie Museum, for 10 years in charge of excavations at The Dinosaur National Monument, near Jensen, Utah. He is now a legal resident of Utah, on a homestead taken up near his pets, the entombed prehistoric animals. He is seated on a face of sandstone carrying several more or less detached dinosaur bones, showing on both sides of him. His genial smile, born of his great optimism and enthusiasm which have made the work possible, lias won many friends in his new home; no one finds in him anything distant or unlikable. — Bottom Dinosaur National Monument, and Split Mountain Canyon, in distance, and Lonetree Bend, Green River, Utah, view northeast, from point four miles due north from Jensen, Uintah county (lower northeastern part). Utah. And here, for ten eventful years, the thought and intercat of the leading paleontologists of the world have centered, while Professor Earl Douglas and a corps of skilled assistants have lifted from their stony bed many heavy mineralized skeletons, remains of life in that wonderful long ago. It was eleven years ago that the Carnegie Museum sent Professor Douglas to the Uintah Basin to collect fossil mammals from the Uintah Tertiary deposits. The first camp was established in a stone cabin at Well No. 2, near the present shearing plant at Bonanza station, on the Uintah railway. In August of that year (1908) Dr. William J. Holland, of the Carnegie Institute and Museum, visited the camp, and with Dr. Douglas drove to a place on the Green River, northeast of Jensen, where Mr. B. Burton, a prospector, had previously shown Dr. Douglas some Dinosaur bones. Dr. Holland thought it would not pay to do much excavating here, but wished to secure two or three of the large scattering limb-bones. However, the expedition was so successful in securing fossil mammals that there was no time to excavate for Dinosaur bones. In 1909 Dr. Douglas was sent again to the Uintah Basin to make further explorations for fossil mammals and for Dinosaurs from the so-called Jurassic beds. (Often called Jurassic, the geological enigma is not yet settled; Comanchean or Lower Cretaceous it more probably is, according to Dr. Douglas.) The formation is the one which was called Como by Marsh. After searching this Como formation for about two weeks, and doing some excavating without any satisfactory results, on August 19, 1909, Dr. Douglas came upon seven large tail vertebrae weathered out in relief on a sandstone cliff. These bones now form a part of a skeleton mounted on its feet in the Carnegie Museum, in Pittsburg, a Brontosaurus which in its living days was almost the equal in size of the Gigantosaurus, the African monster which was probably the king of prehistoric 668 IMPROVEMENT ERA animal life on earth. This specimen, mounted, is about eighty feet in length; however, a section of missing tail vertebrae was interpolated, in this one, but later, when a complete specimen, in respect to the tail, was found, it was discovered that the interpolated tail was more than ten feet too short, which will neces- sitate the enlargement of the mount- ing and the exhibit rooms, to restore it to its true size. It required twenty-six four-horse teams to transport the first shipment of disarticulated skeletons sixty miles to the railroad station at Dragon. It required two years to dis- inter the fossilized bones and prepare them for shipment, and four or more years to remove the plaster-of-Paris matrices used for shipping protec- tion, and the clinging scraps of sand- stone, and mount the first large skel- eton at the Carnegie Museum. The work done in taking up thi; skeleton uncovered portions of sev- eral other skeletons. The work was continued, and new skeletons, and portions of skeletons, a greater part of which are new to science, have been coming to light ever since. All skeletons are more or less incom- plete, though it has often been easy to supply many missing parts by in- terpolation or by substitution from Head of femur of a Bron- the great mass of disconnected parts, tosaurus, probably one of representing scores, if not hundreds, the largest specimens of the of animals of all sizes. Dr. Douglas world's largest prehistoric has seldom left the Dinosaur quarry animals. This detached part of bone was found in the in these eleven years, preferring to quarry near Jensen, Utah, remain in closest touch with the and is on exhibit ct the workings to assure the greatest possi- Commercial Club at Vernal. ble success in assembling the scat- Being mineralized, it is many times heavier than tered remains. In fact, he has estab- bone, iveighing as much as lished his legal residence and perma- the heavier rock. nent home on a homestead near the quarry. There have been times when for months there were no large nor perfect skeletons, intact, coming to light, yet the work has been continued with great patience and labor. As a result of this perseverance, Dr. Douglas writes (March 12, 1919) "We : DIGGING THE DINOSAUR IN UTAH 669 are working here, getting out the most complete skeleton still we have ever taken up. This specimen, complete, will be secured during this summer." A visit to the quarry is not without its disappointments, as one is apt to expect too much of a spectacular nature. The many colored rocks, clays and standstones, for some square miles to the north, representing strata many thousands of years Freight outfit which hauled Dinosaur bones from quarry in northeastern Utah, to railroad, and returned with supplies. older than the Jurassic, and the flint ledge to the south, all decorated with the artistic cedar clumps, and skirted by the sinuous, stream, makes it a beautiful region; and its dry climate makes it attractive most of the year. But one requires the eye 670 IMPROVEMENT ERA of faith, and the spiritual intuition of the patient paleontologist in order to visualize the major facts at hand from the views presented about the quarry itself. The exposed seam, or layer, carrying the fossils, is about a half mile in length, running about east-west approximately a mile north of the river, the trend being towards Split Mountain Canyon. However, while prehistorical animal (signs have been Showing Skeleton Bones in the Rock Layer, at Jensen, Utah found, here and there, in the entire seam, there are only two important sections or ridges in the line, not carried away by cross erosion in lateral gulleys, where there are important de- posits of the fossils. Only one of these places has been explored more than superficially, this crest being only a few hundred feet DIGGING THE DINOSAUR IN UTAH 671 in length, and only about ten or fifteen feet wide. The fossilyielding seam is very definitely limited within this narrow space, and thus, up to the present, no great amount of excess excavation has been necessary. The cross erosion has torn away much of the mass of original deposits, and a number of specimens, some of whose bones have been exposed to the Utah weather for many centuries, near the edge of the cliff, show only in part, the remainder having been carried away; and good lines of vertebrae are seen to end at the weathered edge of the rock, and must be finished mentally in midair. For this and other reasons, restoration has often been extremely difficult in places, and the work has been attended by its tediousness, if not its discouragements. Many of the finest single bones, and parts of skeletons, were found so isolated as to almost baffle identification. The work is also robbed of much of its fascination, when such splendid specimens must await perhaps in vain for the probable finding of allied parts, for many years, and then perhaps go to their places of exhibit incomplete. The excavation work itself is an extremely difficult and painstaking task, for the mineralized bones are often more brittle and infirm than the entombing sandstone. They are also very heavy, being entirely mineralized, or petrified, no part of the original bone being present at this late day. This replica is thus many times heavier than ordinary bone. Blasting is rarely practicable in the bone layer itself, and even the slow process of opening the rock by "feathers-and-w edges" must be done with extreme care. The rock must first be opened some distance in inches, away from the fossils, yet close enough to trace the bony outlines. The mineralized bones also disintegrate readily in the open air and must at once on exposure be shellacked. However, where this denuding process by weathering has been extremely slow, the disintegrating is not serious, as shown by specimens exposed in the rocky faces. When a bone from a new creature is encountered, a primary serial number is assigned to it, and its position, size and shape, are drawn to a scale on a chart. Other bones belonging definitely to the same specimen are given sub-numbers after the primary. This record system permits the removal of bones one at a time as desired, the records showing graphically as the work advances what has been taken out and just what form and size it had in the quarry. While only a few large and fairly complete specimens have been secured, a total of 325 primary numbers have been assigned, indicating the vast number of individual mammoths that have been sepulchred here. It is stated that the Carnegie Museum, having secured many 672 IMPROVEMENT EH \ valuable specimens, ami enriched l>> exchange and gift dozens of other imporUnl museums ami educational institutions, will h.ir.llv find it practicable to continue the dinosaur diggings much longer. Simultaneously there has been a movement started to secure, if possible, a full-siaed individual dinosaur for some of the museums of the State of Utah. Only a few scattering parts of hones are now on semi-public display in the state. As to the future of the quarry, and its possibilities, Professor Douglas si\ s: "There has been a strong sentiment in favor of getting some material for our own state, ever since the quarry was opened. I would rather see part of it remain here than to see it all taken to the east. It is a large undertaking, but I believe Utah is large enough to take care of it, if the people understand it. The people are proud of their state. They are deeply interested in the deeper and more wonderful things in nature than the people of any other state known to me. Some of the stranger animals which lived so long ago and are entombed in the rocks, if they could be put on exhibition, would still further enlarge and broaden the people's minds. It would be a great educator. I know of no place where the good seed of this advanced knowledge could be sown and bear more abundant fruit than in Utah. "In the ledge across the gulley east of where we are working there are many bones and parts of skeletons. We have never done any amount of excavating there, and there might be found in it complete or nearly complete skeletons. It is certain that one could get a lot of material which would be excellent for exhibiting, at a comparatively small expense. "I would like to see some other museum generously produce the funds and push the work further; but what I would especially desire is that the place be not abandoned to the depredations of curiosity hunters, and that so treasures which have been preserved for ages be rendered worthless." An effort was made in the early working of the quarry to have it patented as a mineral claim, but in 1914 it was withdrawn from the public domain as a national monument, under the general care of the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, through whom permission has been granted to the Carnegie Museum to excavate and remove the bones to Pittsburg. How Squire Pygus Got Even By Everett Spring Squire Pygus stood on the edge of the station platform, watching a thin haze of smoke far up the track, which announced the approach of the belated 11:15. His slouch-hat was pulled low over his eyes, his jaws worked incessantly, one hand was thrust into his trousers pocket, while the other gave frequent spasmodic clutches at the unaccustomed collar which adorned his neck. On a baggage-truck the usual quota of loafers dangled their legs and idly speculated as to the Squire's destination, for his appearance in the role of a traveler was something of an event in the annals of the town. "Leavin' us for long, Squire?" one of the men on the truck found courage enough to ask, at last. Pygus turned and shook his head. "Not for any great spell," he drawled. ! "Goin' fur?" put in another. "Mebbe," was the non-committal reply. "Ain't goin' to the cattle-show over in the next town, are you?" a third persisted. "I hadn't thought to," said Pygus, with something like a chuckle. Just then the train came panting into the station. Pygus boarded the smoker, leaving his questioners in a decidedly unsatisfactory frame of mind. No sooner had the train pulled out, however, than one of their number sought the ticket-agent. Presently he was back at the truck again, surprise and incredulity plainly stamped on 1114 I '1 OO "If the ticket-agent ain't stringin' me," he announced, "Squire Pygus' gone clean through to the city." Incredible as the statement appeared, such, indeed, was the case. At three o'clock Squire Pygus pushed his way out of a crowded elevator at the eleventh floor of a big office-building and made his way down the corridor to a door which bore the name: SEABLING, SANDERSON & CO., Bankers and Brokers. He pushed open the door and entered the somewhat gaudy i,:i IMPROVEMENT ERA outer office. Business for the day being practically over, a single clerk -at at one of the desks, poring over the sporting page of an afternoon paper. "I- Jim Sanderson here?" Pygus demanded. "Mr. Sanderson?*1 the clerk repeated. "Yes, he's in his private office. Did you wish to see him? What name, please?" Pram -mi led grimly. "Just tell him it's a feller from the Lower Corners," he said. The clerk Opened a door marked "Private," and disappeared within. In a moment lie was hack and motioned Pygus to the open door. The latter shuffled across the room, stumbled into tin*private office, and approached the desk where a gray-haired, rather handsome man hent over a pile of papers. "How are yer, Jim?" he drawled. Sanderson looked up, then sprang from his chair and held out his hand. "Squire Pygus, by all that's great?" he exclaimed. "Well, this is a surprise, indeed.Who'd thought of seeing you here today. Sit down, Squire, and make yourself comfortable. How are you, anyway?" "So's to be up an' 'round," said Pygus, ignoring the other's proffered hand and sinking into a comfortable chair near the desk. "Good," Sanderson was saying with an ingratiating smile. "You're looking splendid, Squire. I swear, you don't look a day older than you did ten years ago. What brings you down here now? Things are getting a trifle slow at the Lower Corners, and you feel the need of a little livening up, perhaps? Well, that's right, and this is just the place to come to. For keeping young there's nothing like getting in touch with things now and then. Try one of these cigars," he finished, pushing a box across his desk. Pygus drew a plug of tobacco from his pocket and bit off a generous mouthful. "I ain't down for the fun of it, Jim," he said. "Fact is, I come down to talk business with you." "So?" the other laughed easily. "Well, let's have it. What have you got on your mind, Squire?" Pygus ruminated for a time in silence. "I got a good deal on my mind, Jim," he said, at length, "an' what I've got to say I don't want to say to nobody but you," he added, with a meaning look toward the outer office. "We're quite alone here now," Sanderson assured him. "Mebbe so," Pygus admitted, "but all the same I wish you'd send away that feller out there." "Just as you say, Squire," Sanderson acquiesced. He touched a button beneath the desk.