The Dinosaurs of Wyoming - Wyoming State Geological Survey ...

CHAPTER XX
Wyoming Dinosaurs Abroad
It will be the purpose of this section to deal with the preservation
and exhibition in museums abroad of dinosaur bones
and skeletons which had their origin from the geological deposits
of Wyoming. So that the Wyomingite, naturally a
booster for his native state and its products, may seek out in
his foreign travels those specimens from Wyoming, and point
with pride, followed by the remark: "Why, there's old Diplodocus.
He and I are from the same state !"
There are three ways for foreign museums to secure Wyoming
Dinosaurs, and there are many of Wyoming's ancient
reptiles in distant collections. The first way is by purchase,
either from amateur collectors or from professional fossil
hunters. Of the latter type the fossil hunters, Charles Sternberg
and his sons, have been most successful. A second
method is to secure the specimens through exchange with the
American museums, who have duplicate dinosaur material.
The third method is through gift.
Some years ago the Carnegie Museum at Pittsburgh secured
exceptionally complete skeletal material of the slender,
elongate, whip-tail, sauropod dinosaur which Hatcher named
Diplodocus carnegiei. The animal was 80 feet long, and was
taken from the Upper Jurassic rocks of Wyoming. Director
W. J. Holland suggested to Andrew Carnegie, founder of the
Museum, the making of plaster casts of this exceptional dinosaur,
for presentation to certain foreign Museums-a truly
princely gift. The plan was immediately authorized and
duplicate plaster casts of this huge Wyomingite were presented
to the Kings of England and Italy, the Presidents of
France and Argentine Republic, and the Emperors of Germany,
Austria and Russia. The gifts were accepted and these
huge dinosaurians were mounted in the exhibition halls of the
National Museums of these countries. This was done prio"
to 1914. The last one was mounted in Buenos Aires, ArgelItina,
in 1912.
Prior to 1911 Mr. Carl Hagenbeck, in his zoological garden
at Stellingen, had had constructed life-size restorations, in
concrete, of several of Wyoming's hugest dinosaurs, in connection
with his large collection of exotic birds and mammals.
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