Samuel Lawrence is pictured at left applying glue to the Tyrannosaur tibia fossil section he found and excavated.

Blue Earth resident – and amateur fossil hunter and collector – Jim Pollard recently went on a week-long fossil dig in Montana. He took along 12-year-old Samuel Lawrence and his father, Chad Lawrence, of Blue Earth.

This was the third time Pollard had taken a Blue Earth young person and their parent on a dig out west to look for dinosaur fossils. It will probably be the last time, due to increasing costs and no longer having a fossil discovery center.

Pollard kept the Faribault County Register updated with the progress of the dig with an email journal. That journal is shared here, and gives an interesting description of how the adventure went.

Monday, June 5, 8 a.m.

Glasgow, Montana

Greetings from the final scene of the Fossil Discovery Center saga.

Samuel Lawrence and his dad, Chad, of Blue Earth, have joined up with our crew of paleontologists in Glasgow, Montana.

It is early morning and we have just arrived at a ranch about an hour’s drive outside of town. Everyone is unloading their gear and as I look to the horizon there is not a house, telephone pole, or any sign of civilization.

Samuel is standing nearby, daydreaming about discovering a complete T-rex skeleton. I cannot bring myself to tell him that he may end the day empty handed, although he might get lucky. Who knows what any of us will find. The important thing is to keep looking and never give up.

My fossil hunting season actually began weeks ago in the Wyoming Badlands, where an Archaeotherium (ark-�“-ō-th�”-reum) was dug up, a creature distantly related to the modern hippopotamus. It is so sinister in its appearance that one of the paleontologists nicknamed it “The Terminator Pig.”

We also found fossils of a mammal called an Oreodont (or-�”-ә-dŏnt). In life an Oreodont looked like a cross between a sheep, a pig, and a camel. Their preferred habitat was savannah-like and full of greenery – 40 million to 5 million years ago – very different from the desert-like climate in the region today.

I should mention that dinosaurs are not found in the Badlands because the Badlands were underwater when dinosaurs lived. That’s why we are in Montana this week. Samuel was given the choice of digging mammals in the Badlands or dinosaurs in Montana; he chose the second option without missing a beat. Samuel is one of those kids who may retain an enthusiasm for dinosaurs throughout his lifetime.

This was true for the paleontologists in our crew; professors Steve Nicklas and Rob Sula. They began their interest in grade school with dinosaur toys and books. Now they are dinosaur experts and credited with co-discovering the world-famous “Tanis Site” in North Dakota. It preserves the moment of impact when an asteroid struck the Earth and brought to an end the age of dinosaurs. Samuel is fortunate to be working with these first-rate scientists.

There are some people who wonder if paleontology is relevant in our digital world, but I don’t take them very seriously. Paleontology gives us a place in history, it tells us where we fit into the overall grand scheme of things, and it is just an amazing story. We are enriched by learning about the unnamed worlds that came before us, each one with their own ecosystems, plants and animals, and geography. You don’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to experience alien worlds. They are all here under our feet.

Monday, June 5,

5:30 p.m.

We are back from day one and Samuel had some good finds. He discovered a partial leg bone from a juvenile Tyrannosaur and I have attached a photo of Samuel excavating it.

The technical name for the bone is a “tibia.” The technical name for this species of Tyrannosaur is “Albertosaurus:” they were a smaller and earlier version of T. Rex. There is a second photo of Samuel holding a juvenile Tyrannosaur tooth that was found later in the day. Two very cool finds for day one.

Tuesday, June 6, 6 p.m.

We did not have much luck in the way of collecting fossils, but we did discover a dozen tipi rings. They are circular patterns of stones from a Native American encampment. The stones were used to hold down tipi hides, keeping the lodge warm and dry. These tipi rings were left by the Lakota in the 19th century. This must have been a favorite camp-site, near water and good hunting grounds, judging by the number of rings. Their discovery was a welcome surprise.

Tomorrow we hunt for ammonites. They are not very glamorous compared to dinosaur bones. We’ll be at the Canadian border.

Wednesday, June 7,

7 p.m., near the

Canadian border.

We went near the Canadian border to hunt for ammonites. They are spiral-shelled mollusks related to the modern day nautilus.

Our caravan drove two hours north from Glasgow until the gravel road ended. We then drove another 1.5 hours on a primitive dirt pathway. It didn’t take long until the guide car was stuck in the mud. Everyone got out and pushed as the driver rocked the car forward and back. When one of the guides fell face down into the slop, everyone’s camera came out.

Once unstuck, the caravan entered into an area more remote than any I have ever seen. It was a dark and cloudy high-plains wilderness with dramatic valleys, mesas and ravines. Soon after we arrived at the site Sam found a nice ammonite with iridescent silver and gold, but the specimen was incomplete.

Less than an hour later the weather turned bad. We loaded up and turned back to avoid being stranded. When the caravan reached the gravel road Chad’s new truck lost its transmission. This was a disaster. Chad got out, looked under the truck, and was so calm and unrattled that others took notice. Rob looked at Sam and said, “Your dad has a strong character.” Sam replied, “Yes, I know.”

The rest of the caravan moved on, but one vehicle stayed behind until the wrecker showed up hours later. Chad was out of the dig for the remainder of the week as he straightened things out with his new pickup.

Thursday, June 8, 6 p.m.

Nobody found much, although Sam found a badger skull which was pretty neat.

Friday, June 9, 6 p.m.

Today was hot; near 100 degrees. Everyone was geared up to find what had eluded them earlier in the week. Sam wanted to find an Albertosaurus tooth with dark enamel and perfect serrations. We walked from 10 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. without any luck.

With 15 minutes to go, Sam became dejected at the thought of finishing the last day empty handed. He was sitting on a hillside, staring into the distant landscape when Rob said, “Young man, you are sitting in the right place, but facing in the wrong direction.” Rob offered Sam advice, “Be a fossil hunting buddha. Get down on your hands and knees to look, and repeat the mantra ‘bones, claws and teeth’ to get your mind in the right place.”

Sam crawled over the hillside with his nose inches from the ground. Five minutes later he yelled out, “I found a tooth! I found a tooth! I found a tooth!”

It was the perfect ending for the dig.