The Adventures of Linda and David: Digging for Dinosaurs

I had finally arrived in this other-worldly place and was ready to start my maiden dinosaur excavating. The dig site was on a ranch and to reach it we had to drive a long way on a dirt road then park and walk to the sites. I had planned my trip for the end of the season so I could spend as much time with Joey as possible. He is the only paleontologist there so he works all day, everyday. We were joined for a few days in that final week by a family of four from Nebraska. Another day was extra special as we were joined by all the Garfield County elementary school kids. I wondered if living in an area where dinosaur bones are so abundant if they took them for granted or if they expressed the same interest as kids from other areas of the country. They seemed truly interested. I am including some photos here to give you an idea of what the process is like when digging. Digging is a very slow process. First of all, prospecting has to be done. Joey has a special gift for knowing geographic/geological areas where they are more likely to be found. He can look at a formation of rock and dirt and tell if the prize is waiting inside. Once a site is found the area has to be properly documented, GPS surveying to mark the exact location and a lot of other things to prepare the site. Once digging starts the overburden has to be removed then comes the painstaking excavating. You have to be extra gentle so you don’t break anything. The tools consist of things like a rock hammer, pic, toothbrushes, paint brushes, dental pics, etc… It can take an entire season just to expose a leg bone! Once the large pieces are completely exposed the bone has to be plaster-jacketed. This is for protection to remove the bone and keep it safe. On my visit they had spent the season working on just two sites and were not finished. Joey had also found several other sites for future seasons. Oftentimes discoveries are made by customers! The bones found are plaster-jacketed and Joey takes them to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Science during the winter months where they are properly cleaned and made ready for the Garfield County Museum in Jordan, Montana. Joey once told me what an honor it is when he unearths a dinosaur bone, knowing he is the first human being to ever lay eyes upon it. After lying covered in the ground for at least 65 million years it is now seeing the light of day and Joey is the first to see it. WOW!