Wyoming Dinosaur Center Getting New “Digs”
Written by Andrew-Rossi on April 21, 2017
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis will soon be getting, well, new digs.
Dinosaurs were first discovered on Warm Springs Ranch in 1993. This first discovery led to the construction of the Center, located on the east side of the river in Thermopolis. The complex includes a museum, dig sites, a complete preparation laboratory and a gift store.
Now the Center managers want to build a better home for the exhibits, specimens, and public education programs. They’ll host a groundbreaking Saturday, and a workshop so the public can exchange ideas with the architects.
Educator and excavator Jack Turnbull said they already have some ideas, to include incorporating smells and sights and even events in some circumstances.
KULR-8 correspondent Penny Preston visited the Dinosaur Center this week. Turnbull introduced her to Jimbo, a Supersaurus that’s one of the largest dinosaurs ever found in the world.
The Supersaurus replica is cast from fossils found in Douglas, Wyoming, and is just one of the many exhibits from what used to be a private collection – but the Wyoming Dinosaur Center recently became non-profit.
When they open the new facility in three to four years, it will face Highway 120 just south of Thermopolis. And with more than a million cars passing that location every year, the center will be much more visible than it is now. Additionally, the staff wants to meet the “Living Building” challenge, which would allow the new center to create more power than it uses.
The groundbreaking ceremony starts at 11 a.m. Saturday.
