Wyoming Dinosaur Center

Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Name	Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Established	1995
Location	Thermopolis, Wyoming, United States
Type	Natural history museum, Paleontology museum

Wyoming Dinosaur Center is a natural history museum and research institution located in Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. The center operates a public museum, preparation laboratories, and field programs focused on Mesozoic vertebrate paleontology. It attracts visitors from surrounding regions including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Bighorn Basin, and Powell County while collaborating with universities, museums, and agencies such as the University of Wyoming, Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the Rockies, and the Wyoming State Geological Survey.

History

The institution was founded in 1995 by local paleontologists and entrepreneurs who sought to preserve and display fossils from regional formations including the Morrison Formation, Thermopolis Shale, and Bighorn Formation. Early leadership established partnerships with academic programs at Montana State University, University of Kansas, University of Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State University, and the Dallas Paleontological Society to professionalize collections and research. Over the years the center has expanded its field seasons and exhibition space through grants and collaborations with entities such as the National Science Foundation, Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, and private foundations tied to benefactors in Hot Springs County and the Energy Minerals sector.

Facilities and Exhibits

The museum houses public exhibit halls, fossil preparation laboratories, a research library, and conservation facilities comparable to those at regional institutions like the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Exhibits showcase mounted skeletons, interactive displays, and dioramas highlighting taxa such as Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex alongside marine reptiles from the Cretaceous like Xiphactinus and Plesiosauria. The preparation labs are open for public viewing, reflecting practices used by the Paleontological Society and techniques developed in collaborations with the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts and university conservation programs. Educational displays contextualize fossils within regional geology referencing the Laramide Orogeny, Western Interior Seaway, and stratigraphic units studied by the United States Geological Survey.

Collections and Research

The center's collections include thousands of specimens ranging from articulated dinosaur skeletons to microvertebrate assemblages recovered from sites across the Bighorn Basin, Powell County, Hot Springs County, and nearby Wyoming counties. Curatorial staff and affiliated researchers publish in journals such as the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Palaeontology, Cretaceous Research, PeerJ, and the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Research topics have included taxonomy and systematics of theropods and sauropods, taphonomy of floodplain deposits, osteohistology using techniques pioneered at institutions like the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University, and paleoecology linked to studies from the Field Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The center maintains specimen loans and exchange agreements with museums including the Natural History Museum, London, Royal Ontario Museum, and regional collections in Idaho Museum of Natural History.

Education and Outreach

Outreach programs engage K–12 students, teachers, and lifelong learners through curricula aligned with standards developed by the National Science Teachers Association, the National Academies, and state education departments in Wyoming and neighboring Montana. The center offers summer camps, teacher workshops, and traveling exhibits that have toured municipal venues and science festivals in locations such as Casper, Billings, Cheyenne, and Salt Lake City. Community partnerships extend to the Hot Springs County School District, local libraries, and cultural institutions like the Thermopolis Hot Springs visitor services and the Wyoming Arts Council to broaden public access.

Paleontological Fieldwork and Excavations

Field seasons typically occur in summer months with crews composed of museum staff, university students, volunteers, and avocational paleontologists from societies such as the Paleontological Society and regional clubs. Excavations have targeted formations known for producing dinosaur remains including the Morrison Formation and Cretaceous marine deposits, resulting in articulated specimens and new locality records reported to the Paleobiology Database. Techniques follow protocols established by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology for stratigraphic documentation, quarries mapping, and fossil preparation. Significant finds have been documented in collaboration with researchers at Montana State University Billings, Idaho State University, and visiting scholars from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Visitor Information and Programs

The museum operates year-round with seasonal variations in hours to accommodate tourism associated with regional attractions such as Yellowstone National Park and Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park. Visitor offerings include guided tours, behind-the-scenes lab access, fossil digs for families, and special events timed with regional conferences like meetings of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and public lecture series featuring speakers from institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History. Ticketing, membership, and volunteer information are provided on site and through partnerships with local hospitality bureaus and tourism offices in Hot Springs County and Wyoming.

Category:Museums in Wyoming Category:Natural history museums in Wyoming Category:Paleontology in the United States