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PAGE 54 RECREAtION MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020

Your Spring Road Trip: Montana’s Dinosaur Loop

fossils hidden below. The center is oper-
BY HOLLY ENDERSBY ated by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
and includes not only fossils but evidence
March and April are muddy months in of early human habitation in the area as
Montana: snow’s melting, but trails are well. Be sure to also visit the Makoshika
still impassable, and fishing’s not great Dinosaur Museum in downtown Glendive,
as rivers are running high. Plus, it’s tough where you will find life-size models of
to schedule an outdoor adventure with the dinosaurs that roamed the area as well as
unpredictable weather. Sometimes, it’s best fossils found locally.
to just go with the flow and find another A preparation lab helps visitors under-
avenue for exploration. Bozeman boasts the Museum of the Rockies, which stand the painstaking approach to preserving
showcases one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus
Luckily, in Montana, we have the Rexes found in 1997 in Fort Peck Lake. Photo courtesy and displaying fossils. The museum offers
Dinosaur Trail that beckons one to follow Museum of the Rockies. arranged dinosaur digs: call 406-377-1637
along in the muddy months of spring. or go to www.makoshika.com.
Montana has been the hot spot of dinosaur North America’s first dinosaur discovery Montana’s first museum, the Carter
discoveries since the mid-1800’s and even was made near Judith Landing in what is County Museum in Ekalaka, has some original
today, new finds are being unearthed. now the Missouri River Breaks National fossils, of dinosaurs on display. This includes
There are 14 stops along the official Monument. In 1854 naturalist Ferdinand a skeleton of a Hadrosaur, a complete skull
Dinosaur Trail, and a handy map is avail- Hayden discovered the Trachodor, a duck- of a Triceratops, and a miniature look-alike
able online at mtdinotrail.org. The map billed dinosaur. of the T-rex, called Nanotyrannus lanensis.
highlights the dinosaur museums in the Another early paleontologist to explore All the bones were found in the nearby Hell
state and is a great way to plan a road trip Montana was Othniel Marsh, who discov- Creek Formation. For hours of operation, call
in the spring. ered the first Triceratops and Stegosaurus. 406-775-6886 or go to www.cartercounty-
The badlands of eastern Montana offer The world’s first Tyrannosaurus Rex was museum-ekalaka.org The museum offers
the motherlode of exposed dinosaur fossils discovered in Hell Creek near Jordan in 1902 guided digs during the summer.
in the world. Many of the giants that grace by paleontologist Barnum Brown. Montana’s Hell Creek Formation in
the halls of museums in Chicago, New York Despite these discoveries and railroads Southeast Montana is famous for its dinosaur
City, Washington DC, and Los Angeles came shipping carloads of fossils east in the early fossils. While in most places dinosaur fossils
from our state. years of paleontology, you can still find fossils are far under layers of earth, this formation
in Montana today. is exposed due to a unique combination of
Makoshika State erosion over time and ground upheaval as
Park Interpretive part of the Badlands geology. This formation
Not Fast Food... C e nte r ne a r is unusually large and continues into North

Glendive is a great and South Dakota as well as Wyoming.
Just Good Food Fast! first stop on your The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in
spring tour. Here, Bynum features the first North American
where the badlands infant dinosaur bones found in 1978 near

406-727-5820 are most steep and Choteau. In addition, the Center is ded-
rugged, fossils are
icated to citizen science and offers the
1225 Central Avenue regularly found as opportunity to work with professionals on
Great Falls rain and snow con- digs throughout the summer. Check the

M-F 11am - 3:30pm Lunch tinually wear away Center’s website at tmdinosaurcenter.org
3:30pm - 6:30pm Dinner soil to unearth the or call (800-238-6873).

Bozeman boasts the Museum of the
Rockies, which showcases one of the most
complete Tyrannosaurus Rex that was found
in 1997 in Fort Peck Lake. A cast of the fos-
silized remains is displayed at the Fork Peck
Comfortable, A ordable, & Gracious Living. Interpretive Center while the actual fossils
are at the museum in Bozeman. Montanans
can be proud of the fact that the Museum
of the Rockies has the world’s largest col-
Hearthstone Homes on Soroptimist Voyageur lection of Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus
the Range Village Apartments
Rex fossils as well as a mostly complete
Brachylophosaur, measuring 33 feet long.
• Meal Program • Grab Bars • Utilities Included • Secured Facility
• Pet Friendly • Air Conditioning • New Heating & • Fitness Center/Spa Of special interest to dinosaur buffs is
• Secured Facility • Laundry Cooling Units • Social Hall w/ Kitchen “Leonardo,” a mummified Brachlophosaurus
• Emergency • Fridge/Freezer • Elevator • Outdoor BBQ discovered in 2001 near Malta. This spec-
Call System • Private Mailboxes • Community Room • Library
• Off-Street Parking • Electric Range • Outdoor Gazebo • Business Center imen has most of its body covered with
• Private Mail Boxes • Close to Banking, • Spacious Rooms • Media Room fossilized skin, making it one of the most
• Walking Distance Medical Facilities, • Close to Shopping • Indoor Trash Removal important discoveries of its kind. A cast of
to Downtown Parks, & Shopping & Transport • Indoor Mail Delivery this dinosaur is displayed at the Great Plains
Dinosaur Museum in Malta. The museum
400 Oak 902 3rd St E 2400 13th Ave S 1630 Division Rd
Anaconda Roundup Great Falls Great Falls also offers summer digs, so call (406-654-
406-563-5232 406-323-1291 406-453-9379 406-208-6968 5300) or go to [email protected].
So, return to your inner child, that
10-year-old kid who was fascinated by
dinosaurs, and hit the Montana Dinosaur
Trail this spring. Or take the grandkids.

Welcoming you You’ll be glad you did! MSN
across Montana