Museum of the Rockies (S/F)

The Museum of the Rockies, affiliated with Montana State University in Bozeman and the Smithsonian Institution, is located in Bozeman, Montana. The museum houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States and possesses the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered as well as the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex that contains soft-tissue remains. The museum is also part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail and is the state’s official repository for paleontological specimens.

The museum’s collection about the physical and cultural history of the Rocky Mountains and the people and animals who have lived there dates back more than 500 million years. Its permanent exhibits include: Enduring Peoples, which chronicles the life of American Indians on the Northern Plains and near the Rocky Mountains; History of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region, whose inhabitants included Native Americans, fur traders, gold seekers, and white settlers from frontier days through World War II; Living History Farm, which includes theTinsley House where costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn-of-the-century home; and the Taylor Planetarium, a 40 ft (12 m), 104-seat domed theater.

While not its sole focus, the museum is primarily known for its paleontological collections. This was not always the case, however, and for a long time specimens found in Montana were taken out of state to other museums. This changed in 1990 with the discovery of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton that would remain in Montana and be exhibited at the museum. While fossils continue to be property of the federal government, the museum has been able to increase its collection due in part to Curator Jack Horner’s agreement and work with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the federal Bureau of Land Management. The museum is now home to twelve Tyrannosaurus rex specimens, including one of only two complete that have ever been found.

In Jurassic Park 3, paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant drives in a Ford F250 that features the logo for the Museum of the Rockies Department of Paleontology, signifying that he works there.

Visit the official web site here.