The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush: Museums and Paleontology in America at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

by Paul D. Brinkman

The so-called “Bone Wars” of the 1880s, which pitted Edward Drinker Cope against Othniel Charles Marsh in a frenzy of fossil collection and discovery, may have marked the introduction of dinosaurs to the American public, but the second Jurassic dinosaur rush, which took place around the turn of the twentieth century, brought the prehistoric beasts back to life. These later expeditions—which involved new competitors hailing from leading natural history museums in New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh—yielded specimens that would be reconstructed into the colossal skeletons that thrill visitors today in museum halls across the country.

 

Reconsidering the fossil speculation, the museum displays, and the media frenzy that ushered dinosaurs into the American public consciousness, Paul Brinkman takes us back to the birth of dinomania, the modern obsession with all things Jurassic. Featuring engaging and colorful personalities and motivations both altruistic and ignoble, The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush shows that these later expeditions were just as foundational—if not more so—to the establishment of paleontology and the budding collections of museums than the more famous Cope and Marsh treks. With adventure, intrigue, and rivalry, this is science at its most swashbuckling.

Genres: Nonfiction, Palaeontology, Dinosaurs, History, Science

345 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very readable and interesting history of paleontology in the years leading up to the turn of the century. I became interested in the book to learn more about Charles Gilmore, former curator at the Smithsonian. While there were some references, the book provided much needed context even if not much information on Gilmore himself (and there really needs to be a biography for Gilmore ... maybe someday).

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and nicely illustrated account of the continuation of the "Bone Wars" for dinosaur fossils in America. After Cope vs. Marsh, at the turn of the 20th century, the conflict moved on to competition between museums for the largest, newest and most spectacular dino skeletons. In this case, the competitors were the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Field Colombian Museum in Chicago and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. All had rich patrons, and a constant need to send excavating parties to the Rocky Mountains region to seek out, identify and ship back dinosaur remains. Having the best and biggest collection was a highly sought-after status although, fortunately, the field is much more cooperative today. An interesting chapter in the history of paleontology - the heroic era of paleontological discovery - and of American museum culture.