Historian Casper’s “Bone Wars” Presentation at Trails Center will Focus on Famous “Dippy” Fossils Found in Wyoming
CASPER, Wyo. – Casper writer and historian Tom Rea will present “Bone Wars: The Andrew Carnegie Dinosaur Excavation and Fame” at 1 pm on Saturday, October 2 at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.
Rea’s presentation will discuss Wyoming’s “rich and complicated paleontological past and its connection to one of the most famous figures in American history, Andrew Carnegie,” according to the Trails Center.
One of the world’s most famous dinosaurs is named after industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie – Diploducus carnegii. A Diplodocus skeleton known as “Dippy” was discovered near Medicine Bow, Wyoming on July 4, 1889. Dippy is “considered the most famous dinosaur skeleton in the world due to the many plaster casts donated by Andrew Carnegie to several major museums around the world at the turn of the 20th century, ”according to Wikipedia.
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The Trails Center says the skeleton was the most complete fossil of its time and one of the largest ever discovered.
“Shown around the world, it has captured the imaginations of millions of people,” the Trails Center said. “Rea’s story uses extensive research and fascinating insight into the characters to piece together how this fossil found in Wyoming in 1899 helped spawn popular culture’s obsession with dinosaurs.”
Copies of Rea’s book on the subject will be available on Saturday and Rea will be offering book signings.
Rea grew up in Pittsburgh and enjoyed visiting the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, according to the Trails Center. He now lives in Casper with his family and is a freelance writer and editor for WyoHistory.org. He has also covered politics, education, and science for the Casper Star-Tribune for over a decade.
“Tom Rea is a Wyoming treasure as an author, historian and speaker, and it’s such a treat to welcome him for this presentation at the Trails Center,” said Dennis Kuhnel, director of the Trails Center. “Don’t miss this weekend.”
Rea’s presentation will be a celebration ahead of National Fossil Day, which is set for October 13.
Those wishing more information can call the Trails Center at 307-261-7700.
The Trails Center is located at 1501 North Poplar Street in Casper. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free entry.
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