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The amazing dinosaur discoveries at Garden Park continue, even up until very recent times. One of the most important discoveries in Garden Park occurred as recently as 1991.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is the group that conducts most digs in the area right now, and every June, Dr. Ken Carpenter and some volunteers conduct a dig in the area.
Summer of 1991 was more productive than usual because they found an almost complete skeleton of Stegosaurus in the area.
Summer of 1991 was more productive than usual because they found an almost complete skeleton of Stegosaurus in the area.
They called the area the "Small Quarry" after the Stegosaurus's initial discoverer, Brian Small, but we like to call the area "Stegosaur Gulch".
They called the area the "Small Quarry" after the Stegosaurus's initial discoverer, Brian Small, but we like to call the area "Stegosaur Gulch".
They called the area the "Small Quarry" after the Stegosaurus's initial discoverer, Brian Small, but we like to call the area "Stegosaur Gulch".
This skeleton that the museum found was huge and completely articulated.
You see, most dinosaur skeletons, when they're found, the bones are in this big, messy pile,
but this time, the whole skeleton was there, altogether, and every bone was in the exact right place.
but this time, the whole skeleton was there, altogether, and every bone was in the exact right place.
I mean, it was incredible, like a miracle, an absolute miracle.
I mean the incredible awesomeness of this fantastic - ahem...
The point is, this skeleton was incredibly important to science, and you couldn't just take each bone out of the ground individually.
The point is, this skeleton was incredibly important to science, and you couldn't just take each bone out of the ground individually.
The point is, this skeleton was incredibly important to science, and you couldn't just take each bone out of the ground individually.
It was much too important.
It needed to be preserved the way it was,
so the Denver Museum resolved to take the entire chunk of rock out of the ground where the skeleton was.
so the Denver Museum resolved to take the entire chunk of rock out of the ground where the skeleton was.
so the Denver Museum resolved to take the entire chunk of rock out of the ground where the skeleton was.
All seven tons of it.
But how to get it out of the ground?
I mean, obviously it couldn't be just lifted.
The team pondered and pondered, heads were scratched, beards were stroked,
The team pondered and pondered, heads were scratched, beards were stroked,
The team pondered and pondered, heads were scratched, beards were stroked,
until one day, the answer came quite literally out of the sky.
until one day, the answer came quite literally out of the sky.
On August 14th, 1992, residents of Cañon City could look up to see one of the strangest sights they had ever seen -
On August 14th, 1992, residents of Cañon City could look up to see one of the strangest sights they had ever seen -
a plaster-wrapped dinosaur, hundreds of feet about the ground, lifted by a helicopter from the United States Army.
a plaster-wrapped dinosaur, hundreds of feet about the ground, lifted by a helicopter from the United States Army.
The Colorado Quarries company had put over 1500 man-hours into painstakingly preparing the dinosaur to be airlifted in one piece
The Colorado Quarries company had put over 1500 man-hours into painstakingly preparing the dinosaur to be airlifted in one piece
from the rock which had been its resting place for over 100 million years.
from the rock which had been its resting place for over 100 million years.
The dinosaur was placed onto a truck by the helicopter and taken to the Dinosaur Depot.
The dinosaur was placed onto a truck by the helicopter and taken to the Dinosaur Depot.
The dinosaur was divided into three parts - the head, body and the tail.
The dinosaur was divided into three parts - the head, body and the tail.
The body was treated by preparator Donna Engard at the Dinosaur Depot Museum,
while the head and tail was taken to the Denver Museum for further investigation.
Once we excavate a dinosaur from the field, the work is not completed.
A lot of people think that we just bring them into the museum and stick them up, and that's it.
A lot of people think that we just bring them into the museum and stick them up, and that's it.
Actually, the whole process is just beginning.
We have to remove a lot of the encasing rock that's around the bones,
and this can involve a great deal of patient work, carefully removing the rock -
and this can involve a great deal of patient work, carefully removing the rock -
and in the case of the Stegosaurus, we were very fortunate that it was a very soft type of rock.
and in the case of the Stegosaurus, we were very fortunate that it was a very soft type of rock.
It was a claystone.
We know that the animal died in a small pond,
and so the sediments were fairly soft, which made it fairly easy then to remove most of the sediment that was around the rock.
and so the sediments were fairly soft, which made it fairly easy then to remove most of the sediment that was around the rock.
During the process of cleaning the specimen, we did discover something very unusual about the tail spike,
which actually provided us with a clue as to what may have killed the animal.
which actually provided us with a clue as to what may have killed the animal.
I have here a cast of a normal Stegosaurus spike, and we can see how really long and slender it is.
I have here a cast of a normal Stegosaurus spike, and we can see how really long and slender it is.
I have here a cast of a normal Stegosaurus spike, and we can see how really long and slender it is.
It's almost like a cone,
but what we found when we were excavating - or, preparing out the specimen of the Stegosaurus
but what we found when we were excavating - or, preparing out the specimen of the Stegosaurus
was the tail spike here is very weird looking.
If we look at the surface texture, we can see that it looks almost like molten wax.
If we look at the surface texture, we can see that it looks almost like molten wax.
Also, the top part is missing. What caused this?
Well, it turned out that when we did our analysis, we did some microscopic sections to look at the structure of the bone.
Well, it turned out that when we did our analysis, we did some microscopic sections to look at the structure of the bone.
We also did some CAT scans and X-rays of it.
What we found was that half the spike had been broken off in life
What we found was that half the spike had been broken off in life
and that a massive infection set and basically dissolved the inside of the bone and caused it to assume this really waxy texture -
and that a massive infection set and basically dissolved the inside of the bone and caused it to assume this really waxy texture -
and that a massive infection set and basically dissolved the inside of the bone and caused it to assume this really waxy texture -
and there are actually places on here where we can find where the pus of the infection actually was oozing out.
and there are actually places on here where we can find where the pus of the infection actually was oozing out.
We can actually see one here, for example.
So this infection probably spread throughout the whole body of the animal by the bloodstream,
and that probably is what killed this poor Stegosaurus.
Oh, and today you can see prep work being done on modern finds
here at the the Dinosaur Depot Museum or at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science -
here at the the Dinosaur Depot Museum or at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science -
and while you're there, take a look around.
and while you're there, take a look around.
A cast of that famous Stegosaurus fossil is on display at the Dinosaur Depot,
whereas the actual fossil, a truly remarkable find, is on display in Denver.
whereas the actual fossil, a truly remarkable find, is on display in Denver.
So what was that one...?