Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Scott's Bluff

 So one of the stops that we made on the way home was called Scott's Bluff. Legend has it that the bluff was named for a man named Hiram Scott, who was either a traveler or a hunter in the company of two other men. Depending on the tale, he became too sick or injured to continue on, and was being taken to the bluff to meet help so that his teammates could go on. After the capsizing of their boat, a shortage of food, and other struggles, the other two men could not continue with him and, whether by their choice or his instruction, left him behind. He dragged himself as close to the bluff as he could get, and died before help came. His skeleton was found there, and he became the land's namesake.

Before he was ever born, however, the bluffs were built up by deposition. The area was once flat, with the peaks being the ground. Over time, the river that cut through there cut the bluffs out, and due to their composition they eroded rapidly and into the steep slopes seen today.

Fossils have been found there by modern paleontologists, though pioneers described bones that they found in their writings. Some were confused by them; unknown animals were described as animals that they did know. Native Americans in the area did this as well 


 One of my favorite stories inspired by the fossils is the Thunder Horse, inspired by teeth found from the Titanothere, whose skull is seen above. It was told by the Sioux. Legend has it that its hooves made the noise of thunder during storms when it leaped down to earth and slayed bison. I haven't been able to find too much about the story, unfortunately, but its an interesting tale and is one more example of how these fossils were interpreted early on before the animals were known.

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My Story (Very briefly...)

Lots of people claim that they wanted to be paleontologists at the age of 3. So did I. The problem is, I never really grew out of it. My third birthday party had dinosaurs. Everywhere. I grew up digging in fossil dirt from Aurora, NC, looking for coral and shark teeth. I practically lived at my local science museums (and still do, only now I get to do research, fossil preparation, and work in collections!) When local paleontologists discovered a dinosaur with a "fossilized heart" (no longer considered such) when I was little, I got to meet the man who led the work. And then, years later a dinosaur bone with soft tissue turned up. I was officially hooked.
No longer was I dreaming about dinosaurs. I was actively pursuing the science behind prehistoric creatures. I didn't want to read about it, I wanted in on the action. So I started working at the museum, and finally going on my own adventures. And thus, I needed a place to share them and maybe inspire others the way I was inspired. I have gone from watching fossils be prepared from one side of the glass at the museum to working on them on the inside of the glass. I am a student working toward my goal. I can finally start to call myself a paleontologist.