Nicolarsen Lecture on Natural History Draws Large Audience – Sheridan Media

On July 19 at 2:30 p.m., The Clearmont Historical Group welcomed Dave Nicolarsen, curator of museums at Sheridan College, as he gave a lecture on natural history to complement the current exhibit in the Historical Center. Approximately 20 people attended the lecture.

Nicolarsen spoke about the geology of Wyoming and what North America looked like millions of years ago. During the Late Cretaceous 100 million years ago, through the earliest Paleocene 66 million years ago, Wyoming was covered by the Western Interior Seaway, which stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. He spoke about how the mountains were formed and how the Earth has changed.

He talked about fossils, from huge fossils like dinosaur bones, which are found in many areas of Wyoming, to very small fossils. “Look at anthills,” he told the crowd as he passed around a small bowl of tiny shells.

As unusual as it may seem, coral is a common find in Wyoming. In fact, fossil coral reefs can be found in several places on the mountain.

Many fossils, such as a mammoth tooth on display at the Center, can be found in Clear Creek when the water is low. Nicolarsen explained:

There is one of these standing trees in the Dry Creek Petrified Tree Area, not far from Buffalo, Wyoming, along Tipperary Road.

He explained how this process led to the coal present in the Powder River Basin area.

He mentioned the extinction of the dinosaurs and the excavation of dinosaur bones. He said that they almost never find a complete dinosaur skeleton, usually just a few scattered bones. He said that in the case of Caesar, the Allosaurus that is on display at Sheridan College, they found 40% of the bones that were used for the casts in the finished skeleton that was on display, the rest of the bones were casts of another specimen.

Nicolarsen called the “Bone Wars” that took place in the rich dinosaur bone beds of Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado between 1877 and 1892. Two paleontologists, Edward D. Cope and Othniel C. Marsh, tried to outdo each other in the field by using cunning methods, resorting to bribery, theft, and even the destruction of bones.

He recommended books that would also be useful for the amateur fossil hunter.

Senator Dave Kinskey attended the program with his grandson Conway. He had this comment about the fossil exhibit and the lecture.

The natural history exhibit will be on display until the end of August and everyone is welcome to come to the Clearmont Historical Center and view all of the exhibits.

Upcoming Clearmont Historical Group events include the Ice Cream Fest on August 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Branding Iron Park and the Fall Colors Tour along the Powder River Tour on September 21. Stay tuned to Sheridan Media for more information on both events.