--> ABSTRACT: The Dinosaur Discoveries of 1877, by Brent H. Breithaupt; #91002 (1990).

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ABSTRACT: The Dinosaur Discoveries of 1877

Brent H. Breithaupt

Although dinosaur remains were known to occur in the United States as early as 1787, not until the discoveries of 1877 (at three separate sites within the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Colorado and Wyoming) were significant quantities of exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur bones reported. It is indeed fortunate that the schoolmasters (A. Lakes and O. W. Lucas) and railroad workers (W. H. Reed and W. E. Carlin) who accidentally found the first remains at these sites were cognizant of the importance of this material and contacted the prominent paleontologists of the time (Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh). The discoveries at Morrison, Garden Park, and Como Bluff in 1877 would prove to be foundational to the understanding of Jurassic biotas, as well as ramatically affecting the (1) future of museum exhibits, (2) development of collecting techniques, and (3) public perception of paleontology. Today, important fossilized remains continue to be recovered from the 150 million-year-old Morrison Formation in this area of the Western Interior.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91002©1990 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Denver, Colorado, September 16-19, 1990