Como Bluff

Como Bluff
Name	Como Bluff
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
County	Albany County
Coordinates	41°01′N 105°53′W
Designation	National Historic Landmark District
Established	1877

Como Bluff is a long, east–west trending paleontological and geological ridge in southeastern Wyoming notable for yielding numerous Late Jurassic dinosaur fossils and for its central role in nineteenth-century paleontology. The site influenced the work of leading figures associated with the United States Geological Survey, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Institution, and it remains a key locality for stratigraphic studies of the Morrison Formation and for interpreting faunal assemblages contemporaneous with the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian transition.

Geography and Geology

Como Bluff sits within Albany County, Wyoming on the northern flank of the Laramie Plains near the town of Laramie, Wyoming and the Union Pacific Railroad corridor. The ridge consists of east–west trending outcrops of the Morrison Formation overlying the Dakota Sandstone and underlain by Late Cretaceous units to the west; this stratigraphic stacking is integral to regional correlations made by workers from the United States Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey Geologic Division. The sedimentary sequence at the locality preserves fluvial, overbank, and lacustrine facies that have been compared with contemporaneous sequences at Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Dinosaur National Monument, and the Bone Cabin Quarry; paleosol horizons, calcareous concretions, and channel sandstones provide taphonomic context cited in reports by the Geological Society of America and investigators affiliated with the University of Wyoming. Structural control from the late Laramide Orogeny and postdepositional diagenesis influence the exposure and preservation of bone-bearing horizons noted in mapping projects by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and regional studies published in journals supported by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Paleontological Discoveries

The ridge produced abundant dinosaurian remains including sauropods comparable to genera described in work from the American Museum of Natural History era, theropods referenced in correspondence among paleontologists tied to the Smithsonian Institution, and ornithischians reported in monographs linked to Harvard University collections. Fossils attributable to long-necked sauropods, stegosaurs, and carnivorous theropods were recovered alongside fragmentary pterosaur and crocodilian material that informed systematic treatments in the holdings of institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London and the Field Museum of Natural History. Important elements from the site were used in taxonomic syntheses appearing in volumes associated with the American Philosophical Society and comparative works cited by curators at the Carnegie Institution for Science. Faunal lists from the locality have been integrated into continental-scale compilations addressing Late Jurassic paleobiogeography and referenced in symposia hosted by the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Royal Society.

History of Excavation and the Bone Wars

Initial exploitation of the locality began with commercial and railroad-associated prospectors working for interests linked to the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1870s, soon attracting the attention of professional paleontologists associated with patrons such as Othniel Charles Marsh of Yale University and Edward Drinker Cope of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The rivalry between these figures, frequently labeled the Bone Wars, catalyzed intense collecting, espionage, and publication campaigns involving agents employed by the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Academy of Natural Sciences. High-profile episodes included contested field claims, interventions by representatives of the United States Geological Survey, and subsequent scholarly debate reflected in proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Later twentieth-century fieldwork at the locality involved researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, and teams funded by foundations such as the National Science Foundation.

Fossil Preparation and Collections

Specimens excavated from the ridge were prepared and curated across a network of museums including the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, and the Field Museum. Preparation techniques evolved from field-jacket methods employed by nineteenth-century preparators to modern conservation protocols developed at laboratories associated with the Smithsonian Institution and university conservation programs at Columbia University and the University of Michigan. Catalogs and accession records are housed in institutional archives overseen by registrars who coordinate loans with entities such as the International Commission on Stratigraphy and publish specimen-based analyses in journals produced by the Paleontological Society and the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Conservation and Protection

Recognition of the scientific and historical significance of the site led to its designation as a National Historic Landmark and to cooperative stewardship involving the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Conservation strategies incorporate agreements with the National Park Service and local agencies to monitor erosion, vandalism, and unauthorized collecting, with enforcement actions coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and county law enforcement when necessary. Interpretive and preservation plans reference guidelines promulgated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and align with policies from the Society for Historical Archaeology to balance research access for institutions such as the University of Kansas with long-term stewardship objectives.

Public Access and Interpretation

Public outreach at the ridge is mediated through partnerships among the Wyoming State Museum, regional historical societies like the Albany County Historical Society, and national museums that house displays of material from the locality, including exhibitions at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History. Interpretive programming leverages educational initiatives developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and university extension services at the University of Wyoming to produce traveling exhibits, lectures, and digital resources. Access to the site itself is limited; organized field trips and sanctioned research visits require permits administered by the Bureau of Land Management and academic institutions under memoranda of understanding with state agencies.

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming Category:Paleontology in Wyoming Category:Jurassic paleontological sites