Our Supporters
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Corporate Sponsor:
Appreciation Society Business Members:
Doug Groppenbacher, CCIM, CIPS
Cultural Organization Members:
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A Tale of Dinosaur Bones Lost and Found
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It is not uncommon that the most prominent building in a small town is a church. So when my wife, Barbara, and I drove into tiny Bynam, Montana last summer, a building that looked like a church seemed unremarkable at first. I was past it before I realized that there was a brightly colored mountain scene painted on the side with a dinosaur and the words "Rock Shop". Making a quick u-turn, we went back to investigate.
Inside I found display cases full of beautiful mineral specimens, fossils and jewelry. This was obviously no ordinary rock shop and it turned out that the proprietor was no ordinary rock hound. Sitting behind the counter was a small white-haired 95 year-old woman. After the usual greetings she proceeded to tell me much of her life story. She spoke slowly with long pauses as if she were seeing the events she was describing unfolding on a movie screen. Her narrative was not in chronological order but seemed to flow from her sense of the events' importance and impact on her life. She dropped hints of tragedy and hard times but never revealed their exact nature.
The story I remember most vividly was about the fossilized bones of baby dinosaurs she discovered in 1978. For sixty years, Marion Brandvold had been collecting fossils in the hills of the Rocky Mountain front. This particular find was different because it was the first conclusive proof that dinosaurs tended nests and gathered in herds. At the time this was a revolutionary concept to paleontologists.
 Marion related how she showed the bones to Jack Horner, a local paleontologist, who asked to borrow them to take to Princeton University for further study. Eventually, Princeton turned the collection over to Yale University which is where things got messy.
Marion wanted the bones back in Montana where she felt they belonged. She claimed that she had loaned the bones to Horner and they were rightfully hers. When she contacted Yale, they didn't see it that way. For 16 years she fought to get the bones back. Here's how she related one conversation to me:
"I called the head of the Yale museum and I told him we did things differently here in Montana. I told him I had lots of friends with horses and that we all carried guns. I asked him how he would feel if we all showed up in front of his museum with our horses and guns to take back our property. Well, he came around to seeing things our way. Of course, I really wouldn't have done that, but..."
Marion told me many more stories of growing up on a ranch in Montana and how she became a famous ballroom dancer with the stage name of "Delores Montana". But you can hear those stories for yourself when you stop to visit the next time you're in Bynum.
Oh, yes, that building was the local church until 1968 when she and her husband, John, bought it and moved the rock shop from across the road.
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Two Medicine Dinosaur Center
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 If you want to see the famous baby dinosaur fossils, they are right next door to the rock shop at the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center run by Marion's son, David Trexler.
The center also contains a full-size skeletal model of the world's longest dinosaur, Seismosaurus halli, "the earth-shaker."
Do you want to take part in an actual dig? David conducts regular field programs that are open to the public. This is one of the few places where dinosaur enthusiasts can participate in a research project. Contact Timescale Adventures for more information.
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| US Route 89 Website |
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 The website for travelers and residents on highway 89 is now open for business. Here is what you can do:
Plan a Road Trip: The Road Trip Guides provide general information about the history, geography and culture to be found along highway 89. There are also specific guides for each segment of approximately 100 miles with a map and list of all the towns, public lands, historic places and natural landmarks. You will also find Pop-Up Galleries of photographs and stories about interesting people and places to visit.
Share Your Stories: Have you got a photo and story about a place on US Route 89 that you would like to share with fellow road trippers? Now you can. Go to Share Your Stories where you can sign up as a contributor. Then select the Road Trip Guide for your story, enter your comments and upload a picture. A link to your story will appear at the bottom of the road trip guide. You can also create a profile with information about yourself and a picture if you like.
What's New: Stay up-to-date on new photos, stories and interesting stuff on US Route 89 by checking in on a regular basis. Support the website and James Cowlin's photography project by becoming a member of the US Route 89 Appreciation Society. Check out the Project Sponsors whose participation is making all this possible.
Coming Soon: An online store with all things 89 from note cards and fine art prints to hats and t-shirts.
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Support the "Slow Road" Movement:
Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society
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 You love driving the two-lane highways that keep you close to the edge of the road so you can see the land at a leisurely pace. You think nothing of stopping along the way to admire the view and smell the fresh air. You seek out unique places to eat where the special of the day depends on what's in season at the nearby farm. You already appreciate the opportunities offered by a journey on US Route 89.
You are not alone in your passion for a trip on a "slow road." There are many others like you. Together we can spread the word of the joys of leisurely travel. Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society and you'll receive an official membership certificate and button to attest to your belief in the "slow road" movement.
General Membership: $5
Benefits:
· Membership Certificate
· Membership Badge
· Email Newsletter
· Invitations to all project events
Download the Membership Brochure in pdf format |
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