| Show World Famous Dinosaur Bed Discovered Near Jensen During 1909 I Story of Initial Work fori for Eastern Museum by Late Dr Earl Douglass Tells Of Years Spent in Quest Of Complete Dinosaur Skeletons The TIle following Is an inter interesting account of the discovery of the prehistoric fossils at the Jensen Dinosaur quarry by the late Dr Earl Douglass In the spring of 1908 Doctor Wm J Holland director of the Dame ie gie Museum In Pa sent Earl Douglass to the foss fields north of ot the White River in County Utah to hunt and collect fossil mammals animals which bring forth their young oung alive and feed teed them with milk mUk Expeditions from Princeton Uni- Uni University Uni University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City had haa previously sent ex exp v di- di to the region not far from where here the White River flows Into the Green River and ane to the re region gion farther to the northwest north t to the i 1 badlands which surround Ken Ken- Kennedy's Kennedy's Kennedy's nedy's Hole on the old Vernal Vernal Drag Drag on stage road rood Here they had found species of mammals not found anywhere else in the world In fact most of ot the animal remains found here acre cre different from those thane found else elsewhere sa- sa where A succession of formations containing bones and teeth and nearly complete skeletons of or cam cam- camels camels camels els horses rhinoceroses dogs cats cat etc ete and many animals not living today had been found In the badlands bad bad- badlands badlands lands of South Dakota Nebraska Wyoming Montana and in other states These showed that the ant ant- anima animals ma coals changed from age to age There was a great desire to get as complete a history of the mamalian life as possible so 0 it was especially interesting to get all the species from the Uintah deposits that It ft v was as possible to get The TIle expedition was as successful and during the summer 35 boxes boxes- boxes boxes- tao t horse four-horse sere loads loads were hauled to Dragon and shipped to Pitts Pittsburg Pittsburg Pittsburg burg There Vi was as no Wa Watson then and they were shipped by rail from Dragon During the sumner summer B Burton stopped at the Carnegie Museum camp In the stone cabin which used to be about a half halt mile up the draw from what is now the shear shear- shearing shearing ing corral north of White River on the Uintah Stage line He told Mr Douglas about some big dino dino- dinosaur dinosaur dinosaur bones in the bluffs south of Green River where Mr Burton ton had charge of the construction of a i dredge boat He Invited Mr Doug I Douglass lass Doug lass lam to his camp and offered to show how the latter th these large bones I Later Mr Douglass accepted the invitation and was shown some bones in an excellent state of someI pre pre- pre I serration Afterward Dr Holland came to visit the camp and end went Mr Douglass to see the bones One of these was a limb bone bOnt- bone the femur which femur which Vi was as nearly six feet long and would weigh some some- something something thing like pounds The doctor did not feel that the proposition Would ouId pay for extensive excavation as the bones were scattered not scattered articulated complete skeletons skeleton but there were some that he that had better bolter be secured From Prom his place the doctor and sir Mr Douglass crossed the Green Gree Rh iris Er on a ferry fem owned by the dredge company and and in going from here to Vernal passed within fromI half halfa I a mlle mile mue of what Is now the Dinosaur National and and didn't I know it They The stopped at the next ranches up the riVeT river then the wil-II wil Wil Ham Neale ranch and the John Murray ranch At both of these places there were bones banes which had been bren found in the bluffs north of the Green River not very far from where the Dinosaur Monument is isnow now located hated d Shirley Daniels was wasp the first who showed Mr Douglass samples of these our boneS The They were Viere on the farm of his Sa- Sa fa father ther Eugene Daniels As the expedition had b en b en so SUccessful Dr Holland sent Mr Douglass to the Uintah Basin Basina again ain in 1909 1009 and suggested that 14 I would be a good Idea to get gee on ont t c trail trall of the Up to tD I that time though and carloads of cf the big dinosaurs urs had hadI I been found with good parts of II no complete indiVidUal skeletons of the l larger cr ones and andI I found found Before no perfect skulls haa had been Before fore gang on this dinosaur hunt let us mention tv two too 0 or ca three or of the unique and unusually Int three resting r- r r esting things which have been found in Uintah Basin In the bad bad l 1 beds Dey ids ds sometimes called the DeV DeV- l Playground south of the WhiteRiver River and south of west loest of Ouray were lre w found skulls and end skeletons of What are probably the Uie oldest cam cAin t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 q x ti a d dI I b 51 4 e d t tr tM r M s V a P Dr Earl Douglass tt t Work In the Quarry Uncovering Dinosaur Bones els elg known They acne Vi el e small then only IY about the size sizo of a Jack rab- rab rabbi rab rabbi bi Hundreds of ot thousands of specimens specimens specimens mens of fossil leaves of plants have been discovered in formations ot of different geological ages but In the Green River in the region of the Uintah mountains fossil flowers lers have been found Probably In no other formation do they oc- oc occur occur oc occur cur in anything like as great ms b t number except in the amber be ls beds of Germany But perhaps the rarest find of all and the most unexpected Is Isa isa isa a prickly pear cactus which Abe Harris found In Green River shale near neu Watson It has four of thel the I fleshy lobe lobes united and one of the fruits in place As th this cactus thel is isnow isnow isnow now confined to arid regions it Is Isa isa Isa a wonder that it got cove covered ed up in the mud which has hM now no turned to By rock the beginning of August 1909 Douglass had returned from Pitts- Pitts Pittsburg Pittsburg burg Pitts-burg I burg and started on the trail of big the game game the big Dinosaurs The I trail a was as the bones v a which had been I J I 4 J ti tit t 11 l Z 1 j i t o V 4 oW t of ti tf f y t tS S 9 N Nt t J M f t Y r t tv 1 t v G a r t- t tt r ro w x 4 4 4 1 f I Ir l r R r f J t tR J Fossils of Pre historIc Monster 1 Ex posed at Jensen Dinosaur Quarry I found in the rocks The method was vas to follow up the formation in which bones or fragments of bones bone v a ere known to occur Some Same fonna- fonna tins fonna-tins tins you ou might follow to Hades Hades- Hades It if they extended that far and far never ne see a shadow of a bone or any other fossil He followed th this formation day after day finding orl fragments fragment of bo bone but no sign of a skull or a tooth ur c even cen en anything I I I like a complete skeleton Digging was begun In several places with the hope that a skeleton was hid hid- hidden hid hidden i den in the clay or I sandstone This I was where an unusual number of fragments of bone were found on the surface On the lyth of ot August a nook in which had been passed around in previous hunting trips was ex- ex examined examined ex examined A ledge of sandstone which contained scattering bones was fol- fol fol lowed followed down one side of a canyon or ravine and up the next hill On arriving at the top of the hill the hunter was startled by seeing a series of articulated jonts of a huge animal weathered jut gut In re- re ret re relief Ilief lief t upon the face of or the sand sandstone tone ledge On closer examination it was seen to be part of ot a tall tail of ot a aery av avery ery v ery large dinosaur The work vork a ork Of I exes excavating to see whether or not the rocks were hiding a lar largi larga skeleton skeleton skeleton ton September was begun the first of Septem Septem- ber bel Extensive quarrying 15 s carried on here until 1924 Splendid specimens mens were sere ere uncovered The first skeleton Is now standing on on its its feet I In the Carnegie museum It is the biggest skeleton that is so com com- complete complete in any museum But In the same mi eum are othe other skeletons of cr different aS dinosaurs dinosaurs as c complete as the big one one- skeletons one one skeletons found in inno inno inno no other museum In all ten carloads have been shipped from the quarry Eight carloads to the Carnegie museum one to the of ot Natural History and one to the University or of Utah The skeletons are the most complete and the best pres specimens of dinosaurs from rocks of this age that are known As was vas Was stated no perfect skulls were previously known About ten fin skulls were obtained from this quarry some of them practically perfect |
